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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 120 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: land · board · fall · dip · current · hand · vault · bass

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. hand — help
  3. fall — the season
  4. fall — to drop
  5. fall — to drop
  6. vault — a safe
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. current — happening now
  9. land — ground
  10. dip — to sink
  11. current — electric
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. bass — the fish
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. board — a committee
  16. board — to get on
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. land — a country
  21. land — to come down
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. current — of water
  24. bass — low music

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