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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: board · current · arm · cell · rush · fan · leaves · vault

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. current — happening now
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. cell — a phone
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. current — electric
  14. vault — a safe
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. board — a committee
  17. current — of water
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. board — to get on
  22. cell — in biology
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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