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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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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: vault · key · current · wake · spring · pop · rash · lie

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. key — in music
  3. pop — to visit
  4. current — of water
  5. pop — music
  6. current — happening now
  7. rash — a series
  8. spring — a coil
  9. wake — a trail
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. spring — the season
  14. key — for a lock
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. lie — to recline
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. current — electric
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. vault — a safe
  22. pop — soda
  23. spring — of water
  24. key — the most important part

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