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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: vault · chest · mine · current · pass · fan · tear · leaves

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. mine — for digging
  3. chest — a box
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. tear — from crying
  10. tear — from crying
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. vault — a safe
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. chest — of your body
  16. pass — a permit
  17. chest — of your body
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. current — happening now
  20. current — electric
  21. current — of water
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. mine — an explosive

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