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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: shower · bound · scale · lash · plane · vault · prune · pitch

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. prune — to trim
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. shower — to wash
  6. pitch — completely
  7. bound — tied together
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. shower — rain
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. bound — obliged
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. vault — a safe
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. bound — certain
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. scale — in music
  20. prune — to trim
  21. plane — a tool
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. scale — size or range

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