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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 · rash · current · mate · lean · roll · wake · hide

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. rash — a series
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. vault — a safe
  6. current — electric
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. roll — a list
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. current — happening now
  12. mate — to breed
  13. lean — thin
  14. mate — a partner
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. wake — a trail
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. rash — hasty
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. mate — a friend
  23. roll — a cake
  24. lean — to bend

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