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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. rock — music
  4. current — happening now
  5. current — electric
  6. current — of water
  7. file — a document
  8. root — of a plant
  9. root — the cause
  10. tube — the underground
  11. cell — in biology
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. cell — a phone
  14. file — a line of people
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. tube — a container
  17. vault — a safe
  18. field — a subject
  19. root — of a word
  20. file — a tool
  21. field — farmland
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. field — for sport
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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