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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: tear · can · rest · fan · cell · current · vault · bore

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. current — happening now
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. bore — to tire
  5. cell — a phone
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. rest — a break
  10. tear — from crying
  11. can — a tin
  12. cell — in biology
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. can — to be able to
  15. bore — to drill
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. tear — to rip
  18. current — of water
  19. rest — what's left
  20. vault — a safe
  21. can — a tin
  22. current — electric
  23. rest — what's left
  24. tear — from crying

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