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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: vault · pitcher · fan · prune · dip · band · plane · court

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. vault — a safe
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. dip — to sink
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. court — of a king
  8. band — a music group
  9. court — of law
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. plane — a tool
  14. prune — to trim
  15. court — for sport
  16. band — a ring
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. prune — to trim
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. fan — to cool the air

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