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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · lie · squash · tube · tear · season · vault · spring

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. squash — to crush
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. spring — of water
  10. tear — to rip
  11. spring — a coil
  12. squash — the sport
  13. season — in sport
  14. tear — from crying
  15. tube — a container
  16. tube — the underground
  17. lie — to recline
  18. tear — from crying
  19. season — of the year
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. spring — the season
  23. vault — a safe
  24. plane — in geometry

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