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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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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: plane · shower · pop · clip · vault · lie · mouse · rush

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. shower — rain
  3. pop — soda
  4. vault — a safe
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. lie — to recline
  7. plane — a tool
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. clip — to cut
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. shower — to wash
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. pop — music
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. rush — hurry
  22. clip — a video
  23. clip — for paper
  24. pop — to visit

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