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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: root · last · vault · fork · current · staff · net · bound

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. staff — employees
  3. last — final
  4. last — to go on
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. net — after costs
  7. root — of a word
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. root — the cause
  11. last — finally
  12. net — for catching
  13. current — of water
  14. staff — a stick
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. net — in sport
  17. bound — certain
  18. current — electric
  19. current — happening now
  20. bound — obliged
  21. root — of a plant
  22. fork — in a road
  23. bound — tied together
  24. staff — employees

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