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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: vault · band · pop · plane · fork · saw · chest · prune

  1. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. chest — of your body
  3. saw — the tool
  4. plane — a tool
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. chest — of your body
  7. pop — music
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. pop — to visit
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. band — a music group
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. prune — to trim
  16. fork — in a road
  17. band — a ring
  18. vault — a safe
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. saw — the tool
  21. pop — soda
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. prune — to trim
  24. chest — a box

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