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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: vault · wave · stem · plane · lean · rest · march · last

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. rest — a break
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. march — the month
  7. stem — to come from
  8. plane — a tool
  9. rest — what's left
  10. lean — thin
  11. rest — what's left
  12. lean — to bend
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. last — to go on
  15. march — the month
  16. vault — a safe
  17. last — finally
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. march — music
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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