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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: coach · game · band · pitcher · ground · current · bulb · vault

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. band — a music group
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. ground — crushed
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. bulb — for light
  10. current — happening now
  11. vault — a safe
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. game — wild animals
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. ground — the earth
  16. ground — a position
  17. bulb — for light
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. game — a match
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. band — a ring
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. current — electric

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