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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: march · row · trunk · clip · wake · vault · current · bulb

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. vault — a safe
  3. clip — a video
  4. row — to paddle
  5. row — a line
  6. clip — for paper
  7. current — of water
  8. clip — to cut
  9. current — happening now
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. march — the month
  15. wake — a trail
  16. bulb — for light
  17. march — music
  18. march — the month
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. bulb — for light
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. current — electric

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