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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 · fan · lash · mouse · current · net · object · wake

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. current — electric
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. net — after costs
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. object — to protest
  10. object — an aim
  11. net — for catching
  12. vault — a safe
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. wake — a trail
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. current — happening now
  20. object — a thing
  21. current — of water
  22. net — in sport
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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