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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 120 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: row · present · fall · track · board · vault · plane · shower

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. track — a path
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. fall — to drop
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. vault — a safe
  8. shower — to wash
  9. board — to get on
  10. present — the time now
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. plane — a tool
  13. present — there
  14. track — a song
  15. fall — to drop
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. present — a gift
  18. track — to keep track
  19. fall — the season
  20. row — a line
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. shower — rain
  24. row — to paddle

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