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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.

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: bark · spring · rash · current · vault · bowl · pop · fan

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. current — electric
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. current — happening now
  5. vault — a safe
  6. spring — of water
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. bark — to shout
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. current — of water
  12. rash — hasty
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. rash — a series
  20. pop — soda
  21. spring — the season
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. spring — a coil
  24. pop — music

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