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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: mate · shower · spell · bank · current · cold · straw · vault

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. mate — a friend
  3. shower — to wash
  4. cold — an illness
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. current — electric
  7. spell — magic
  8. vault — a safe
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. bank — of a river
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. spell — letters
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. cold — not warm
  15. bank — for money
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. bank — for money
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. mate — a partner
  20. shower — rain
  21. mate — to breed
  22. spell — a short time
  23. current — of water
  24. current — happening now

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