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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 120 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: lean · tear · pound · current · vault · scale

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. tear — to rip
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. lean — thin
  5. scale — size or range
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. scale — in music
  8. current — electric
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. current — of water
  11. current — happening now
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. vault — a safe
  16. tear — from crying
  17. tear — from crying
  18. pound — a weight

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