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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: shower · last · bulb · mark · vault · land · current · hand

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. land — a country
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. mark — a grade
  7. bulb — for light
  8. vault — a safe
  9. last — finally
  10. land — to come down
  11. current — electric
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. shower — rain
  14. last — final
  15. shower — to wash
  16. hand — in cards
  17. hand — help
  18. bulb — for light
  19. current — of water
  20. mark — a trace
  21. land — ground
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. last — to go on
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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