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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 116 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 · club · band · lean · straw · stock · vault · last

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. last — to go on
  3. club — for dancing
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. current — happening now
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. club — a group
  8. band — a music group
  9. band — a ring
  10. club — for golf
  11. current — electric
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. current — of water
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. last — finally
  17. stock — goods
  18. vault — a safe
  19. last — final
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. lean — to bend
  23. lean — thin
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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