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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: toast · pound · shower · fork · vault · plane · band · track

  1. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. band — a music group
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. vault — a safe
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. plane — a tool
  8. track — a path
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. track — to keep track
  11. band — a ring
  12. shower — to wash
  13. toast — bread
  14. shower — rain
  15. pound — a weight
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. fork — in a road
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. track — a song

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