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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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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 · wound · vault · swing · band · ruler · perch · march

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. march — music
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. vault — a safe
  7. march — the month
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. swing — to play on
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. perch — the fish
  14. wound — an injury
  15. band — a music group
  16. band — a ring
  17. swing — in golf
  18. wound — an injury
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. swing — music
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. plane — a tool
  24. band — a rubber band

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