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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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Word bank
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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 · wind · current · spring · court · nail · staff · fall

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. court — for sport
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. wind — moving air
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. staff — a stick
  7. spring — a coil
  8. spring — of water
  9. fall — to drop
  10. vault — a safe
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. fall — to drop
  13. fall — the season
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. court — of a king
  16. current — happening now
  17. staff — employees
  18. wind — moving air
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. current — electric
  22. court — of law
  23. spring — the season
  24. current — of water

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