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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: plane · stick · face · cold · vault · branch · mine · swing

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. cold — an illness
  4. mine — for digging
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. swing — to play on
  8. face — part of the head
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. cold — not warm
  13. swing — music
  14. vault — a safe
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. face — to point toward
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. swing — in golf
  21. face — to confront
  22. branch — a division
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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