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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: rest · branch · vault · wind · cap · mug · current · drill

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. current — of water
  4. rest — what's left
  5. mug — to rob
  6. cap — a hat
  7. vault — a safe
  8. drill — army training
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. rest — a break
  11. mug — a cup
  12. drill — a practice
  13. mug — a face
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. cap — of ice
  16. branch — a division
  17. drill — the tool
  18. wind — moving air
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. current — electric
  21. current — happening now
  22. wind — moving air
  23. rest — what's left
  24. branch — of a bank

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