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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: wind · row · stem · vault · fall · kick · plane · track

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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. row — a line
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. stem — to come from
  6. plane — a tool
  7. wind — moving air
  8. kick — in football
  9. track — to keep track
  10. row — to paddle
  11. fall — the season
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. fall — to drop
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. track — a path
  19. track — a song
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. fall — to drop
  22. wind — moving air
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. wind — to turn a key

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