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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · mine · sharp · drill · row · current · bulb · staff

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. row — to paddle
  4. current — happening now
  5. vault — a safe
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. drill — a practice
  8. bulb — for light
  9. staff — employees
  10. bulb — for light
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. drill — the tool
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. row — a line
  16. drill — army training
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. mine — for digging
  19. staff — a stick
  20. staff — employees
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. current — electric
  24. current — of water

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