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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.

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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 · kick · rock · wake · current · board · tear · row

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. current — of water
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. rock — a stone
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. vault — a safe
  8. rock — music
  9. tear — from crying
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. kick — in football
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. current — happening now
  15. row — to paddle
  16. wake — a trail
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. tear — from crying
  19. tear — to rip
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. current — electric
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. board — a committee
  24. board — to get on

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