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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: march · squash · lean · current · track · vault · band · bear

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. march — the month
  4. march — music
  5. current — happening now
  6. band — a ring
  7. vault — a safe
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. march — the month
  10. current — electric
  11. current — of water
  12. bear — the animal
  13. lean — thin
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. squash — to crush
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. squash — the sport
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. band — a music group
  20. track — to keep track
  21. track — a path
  22. track — a song
  23. bear — the animal
  24. bear — to put up with

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