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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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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: squash · wind · cell · wake · mate · current · vault · bay

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. current — electric
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. squash — the sport
  7. cell — a phone
  8. cell — in biology
  9. wind — moving air
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. current — happening now
  12. squash — to crush
  13. wake — a trail
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. vault — a safe
  18. mate — a partner
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. wind — moving air
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. current — of water
  23. mate — a friend
  24. mate — to breed

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