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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 124 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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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: snap · wound · mate · arm · vault · spell · squash · plane

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. spell — letters
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. squash — to crush
  9. squash — the sport
  10. wound — an injury
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. mate — a partner
  13. spell — a short time
  14. spell — magic
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. plane — a tool
  17. snap — to click
  18. vault — a safe
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. wound — an injury
  22. mate — a friend
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. mate — to breed

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