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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: ground · toast · face · vault · mate · pound · lean · plane

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. lean — thin
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. face — part of the head
  7. vault — a safe
  8. mate — to breed
  9. ground — the earth
  10. mate — a friend
  11. mate — a partner
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. toast — bread
  14. ground — a position
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. plane — a tool
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. lean — to bend
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. pound — a weight
  23. face — to confront
  24. face — to point toward

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