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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.

Words on the sheet
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: wound · nail · vault · bass · lean · squash · swing · plane

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. wound — an injury
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. lean — to bend
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. swing — in golf
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. vault — a safe
  12. squash — the sport
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. wound — an injury
  16. plane — a tool
  17. bass — the fish
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. squash — to crush
  20. swing — music
  21. swing — to play on
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. lean — thin
  24. plane — in geometry

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