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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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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: rush · plane · rock · land · lean · hand · vault · press

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. rush — hurry
  3. vault — a safe
  4. land — to come down
  5. lean — thin
  6. plane — a tool
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. press — a publisher
  12. rock — a stone
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. hand — help
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. hand — in cards
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. lean — to bend
  20. land — ground
  21. press — to push
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. land — a country
  24. press — newspapers

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