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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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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: band · plane · face · mark · snap · vault · mine · craft

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. face — to point toward
  8. mark — a trace
  9. band — a music group
  10. mine — for digging
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. vault — a safe
  14. mark — a grade
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. craft — a skill
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. craft — boats
  21. snap — to click
  22. face — to confront
  23. plane — a tool
  24. face — part of the head

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