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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 116 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: vault · spell · plane · cold · tube · bank · lean · march

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. plane — a tool
  3. tube — a container
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. spell — letters
  6. march — the month
  7. spell — a short time
  8. bank — of a river
  9. march — music
  10. spell — magic
  11. vault — a safe
  12. bank — for money
  13. bank — for money
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. cold — not warm
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. tube — the underground
  20. lean — thin
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. cold — an illness
  24. lean — to bend

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