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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: current · spring · plane · cell · bat · perch · vault · pop

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. perch — the fish
  3. spring — the season
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. cell — a phone
  6. pop — to visit
  7. vault — a safe
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. spring — a coil
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. current — happening now
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. pop — music
  16. cell — in biology
  17. pop — soda
  18. current — of water
  19. bat — the animal
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. plane — a tool
  22. spring — of water
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. perch — for a bird

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