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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: fork · pitch · cell · spring · club · shower · vault · plane

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. shower — to wash
  3. spring — a coil
  4. club — a group
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. club — for dancing
  8. cell — in biology
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. vault — a safe
  11. plane — a tool
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. shower — rain
  14. club — for golf
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. pitch — completely
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. spring — the season
  22. spring — of water
  23. cell — a phone
  24. cell — in a prison

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