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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 116 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: face · mine · chair · lean · vault · plane · bear · shower

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. lean — thin
  7. shower — to wash
  8. face — part of the head
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. lean — to bend
  13. bear — the animal
  14. bear — the animal
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. plane — a tool
  17. shower — rain
  18. chair — a leader
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. face — to confront
  21. face — to point toward
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. vault — a safe
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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