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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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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: pitcher · degree · stick · spring · plane · vault · foot · cell

  1. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. plane — a tool
  5. vault — a safe
  6. degree — an amount
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. cell — in biology
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. foot — a measure
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. spring — a coil
  15. spring — the season
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. degree — temperature
  21. cell — a phone
  22. spring — of water
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. degree — from a university

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