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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. wind — moving air
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. bank — for money
  7. current — electric
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. wind — moving air
  10. saw — the tool
  11. saw — the tool
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. bank — of a river
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. bank — for money
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. vault — a safe
  23. current — of water
  24. fan — a supporter

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