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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: current · rash · nail · chest · clip · stick · bark · vault

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. chest — of your body
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. current — happening now
  9. clip — to cut
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. clip — for paper
  13. rash — hasty
  14. current — electric
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. current — of water
  17. clip — a video
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. rash — a series
  20. chest — a box
  21. bark — to shout
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. vault — a safe
  24. nail — for a hammer

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