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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: plane · spring · stick · file · capital · bank · vault · perch

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. plane — a tool
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. perch — the fish
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. capital — a city
  7. spring — a coil
  8. bank — for money
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. vault — a safe
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. file — a line of people
  15. file — a tool
  16. spring — the season
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. spring — of water
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. bank — for money
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. bank — of a river
  24. capital — money

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com