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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: wind · current · lie · vault · roll · wound · last · tube

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. wound — an injury
  3. last — final
  4. current — happening now
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. tube — the underground
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. current — of water
  9. lie — to recline
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. roll — a cake
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. wind — moving air
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. wound — an injury
  16. last — finally
  17. tube — a container
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. roll — a list
  21. wind — moving air
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. current — electric
  24. last — to go on

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