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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: last · rash · vault · fall · bear · cold · current · stand

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. last — to go on
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. stand — to bear
  5. last — finally
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. fall — to drop
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bear — the animal
  10. cold — an illness
  11. current — electric
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. last — final
  14. rash — a series
  15. rash — hasty
  16. vault — a safe
  17. fall — the season
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. current — of water
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. cold — not warm
  24. fall — to drop

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