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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 · tube · bass · club · vault · bear · hand · wake

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. bear — the animal
  3. club — for golf
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. hand — in cards
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. bear — the animal
  8. club — for dancing
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. current — happening now
  11. club — a group
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. bass — the fish
  14. current — electric
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. vault — a safe
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. current — of water
  20. tube — a container
  21. bass — low music
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. wake — a trail
  24. hand — help

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