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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 116 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: lean · sharp · bank · bat · vault · club · current · wake

  1. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  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. bank — for money
  2. current — happening now
  3. club — for golf
  4. bat — the animal
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. club — a group
  7. current — electric
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. wake — a trail
  11. vault — a safe
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. bank — for money
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. club — for dancing
  17. lean — thin
  18. sharp — clever
  19. bank — of a river
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. lean — to bend
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. sharp — with an edge
  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