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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: trunk · band · stem · date · rule · plane · lean · vault

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. plane — a tool
  3. rule — government
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. lean — thin
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. lean — to bend
  8. band — a ring
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. rule — a law
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. date — the fruit
  18. band — a music group
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. stem — to come from
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. vault — a safe
  24. rule — to rule out

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