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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: wind · fine · current · vault · press · calf · board · trunk

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. press — to push
  3. vault — a safe
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. press — a publisher
  6. current — electric
  7. fine — high quality
  8. wind — moving air
  9. board — a committee
  10. wind — moving air
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. fine — all right
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. press — newspapers
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. current — happening now
  21. current — of water
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. board — to get on

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