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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: fall · plane · capital · vault · trunk · patient · drill · lean

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. capital — money
  5. fall — to drop
  6. fall — to drop
  7. drill — army training
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. lean — thin
  11. fall — the season
  12. capital — a city
  13. lean — to bend
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. drill — a practice
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. drill — the tool
  20. plane — a tool
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. vault — a safe
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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