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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: current · coach · bank · stem · spring · court · vault · clip

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. spring — of water
  3. clip — to cut
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. current — happening now
  6. clip — a video
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. current — of water
  9. bank — of a river
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. spring — the season
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. court — for sport
  14. stem — to come from
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. bank — for money
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. court — of a king
  19. court — of law
  20. clip — for paper
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. vault — a safe
  23. bank — for money
  24. spring — a coil

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