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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 · face · bat · patient · trunk · vault · pop · staff

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. vault — a safe
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. bat — the animal
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. face — to confront
  9. pop — to visit
  10. staff — employees
  11. staff — a stick
  12. pop — music
  13. plane — a tool
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. face — to point toward
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. face — part of the head
  19. staff — employees
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. pop — soda
  24. patient — a sick person

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