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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: bowl · season · present · stem · vault · current · rash · scale

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. scale — in music
  3. current — of water
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. current — electric
  7. rash — hasty
  8. stem — to come from
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. season — in sport
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. rash — a series
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. vault — a safe
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. present — the time now
  18. present — a gift
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. current — happening now
  21. scale — size or range
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. season — of the year
  24. stem — of a plant

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