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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: clip · drill · coach · vault · pitcher · current · fall · lean

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. clip — for paper
  3. fall — to drop
  4. lean — thin
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. drill — a practice
  7. fall — to drop
  8. drill — the tool
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. fall — the season
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. clip — to cut
  13. current — of water
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. lean — to bend
  16. clip — a video
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. current — electric
  20. current — happening now
  21. drill — army training
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. vault — a safe
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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