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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: tube · wake · coach · current · pitcher · vault · craft · bat

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. wake — a trail
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. craft — boats
  5. craft — a skill
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. tube — the underground
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. vault — a safe
  12. current — happening now
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. tube — a container
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. current — electric
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. current — of water
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. pitcher — a jug

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