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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: vault · last · coach · hand · spring · plane · snap · current

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. current — happening now
  5. spring — a coil
  6. last — to go on
  7. current — electric
  8. snap — to click
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. spring — the season
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. hand — help
  14. vault — a safe
  15. last — finally
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. spring — of water
  21. current — of water
  22. hand — in cards
  23. last — final
  24. plane — a tool

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