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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: rock · vault · rash · current · coach · cabinet · row · hand

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. rash — a series
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. current — electric
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. row — to paddle
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. current — of water
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. current — happening now
  12. row — a line
  13. rock — music
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. hand — in cards
  16. vault — a safe
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. rash — hasty
  20. hand — help
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. rock — a stone
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. coach — a trainer

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