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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: plane · straw · vault · bat · craft · band · pop · leaves

  1. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. craft — a skill
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. band — a music group
  5. pop — music
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. pop — soda
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. bat — the animal
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. plane — a tool
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. band — a ring
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. pop — to visit
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. vault — a safe
  24. craft — boats

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