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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 116 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: rush · current · net · bat · vault · trunk · field · scale

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. rush — hurry
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. scale — size or range
  5. current — electric
  6. net — in sport
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. bat — the animal
  9. scale — in music
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. vault — a safe
  13. field — farmland
  14. field — for sport
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. net — for catching
  18. current — of water
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. net — after costs
  22. field — a subject
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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