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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: vault · current · stick · kick · bear · straw

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. current — electric
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. bear — the animal
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. current — of water
  11. vault — a safe
  12. current — happening now
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. kick — in football
  17. bear — the animal
  18. vault — in gymnastics

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