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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 · toast · pitcher · content · mine · vault · fall · lash

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. vault — a safe
  5. content — happy
  6. fall — to drop
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. toast — bread
  11. mine — for digging
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. plane — a tool
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. content — the amount
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. fall — the season
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. plane — an aircraft

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