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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: hand · vault · degree · roll · bat · season · plane · wax

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. degree — temperature
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. roll — a list
  8. season — in sport
  9. degree — an amount
  10. season — of the year
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. degree — from a university
  14. hand — help
  15. roll — a cake
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. hand — in cards
  18. vault — a safe
  19. plane — a tool
  20. wax — to grow
  21. bat — the animal
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. wax — in the ear

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