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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 116 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: band · plane · staff · shower · vault · fork · current · lean

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. shower — to wash
  3. staff — employees
  4. vault — a safe
  5. fork — in a road
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. current — electric
  9. band — a ring
  10. staff — a stick
  11. staff — employees
  12. lean — thin
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. current — of water
  18. plane — a tool
  19. current — happening now
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. shower — rain
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. lean — to bend
  24. band — a music group

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