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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 120 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: wind · squash · fine · vault · plane · cell · chip · lean

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. squash — to crush
  3. plane — a tool
  4. lean — to bend
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. lean — thin
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. squash — the sport
  11. vault — a safe
  12. chip — for betting
  13. cell — a phone
  14. cell — in biology
  15. fine — high quality
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. chip — to eat
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. wind — moving air
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. wind — moving air
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. lean — to rest against

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