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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 116 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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468
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: object · plane · row · branch · spring · vault · rush · march

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. object — a thing
  3. march — the month
  4. row — a line
  5. vault — a safe
  6. plane — a tool
  7. row — to paddle
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. spring — a coil
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. object — to protest
  13. object — an aim
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. march — the month
  16. spring — the season
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. spring — of water
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. march — music
  22. branch — a division
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. rush — a thrill

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