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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: bass · face · vault · last · craft · field · wake · plane

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. craft — boats
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. field — a subject
  6. last — to go on
  7. field — for sport
  8. wake — a trail
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. last — final
  11. bass — low music
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. vault — a safe
  15. face — to confront
  16. bass — the fish
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. face — to point toward
  19. plane — a tool
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. last — finally
  22. face — part of the head
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. field — farmland

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