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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: spring · vault · bass · plane · arm · toast · pitcher · chest

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. toast — bread
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. spring — the season
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. chest — a box
  9. spring — of water
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. chest — of your body
  12. vault — a safe
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. plane — a tool
  17. bass — low music
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. bass — the fish
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. spring — a coil

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