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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: content · vault · stem · land · tube · band · plane · deal

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. land — ground
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. band — a music group
  8. stem — to come from
  9. tube — the underground
  10. vault — a safe
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. band — a ring
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. content — the amount
  15. content — happy
  16. land — to come down
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. deal — to handle
  19. tube — a container
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. plane — a tool
  24. deal — a big deal

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