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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: snap · current · vault · spring · bore · straw · scale · bay

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. bore — to tire
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. snap — to click
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. current — electric
  12. current — of water
  13. spring — a coil
  14. spring — of water
  15. spring — the season
  16. bore — to drill
  17. scale — size or range
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. vault — a safe
  20. current — happening now
  21. scale — in music
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. bore — gave birth

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