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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: ball · shower · coach · mine · lean · current · vault · cell

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. cell — a phone
  3. current — electric
  4. shower — to wash
  5. current — of water
  6. shower — rain
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. ball — a dance
  11. cell — in biology
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. current — happening now
  16. lean — thin
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. mine — for digging
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. vault — a safe
  22. lean — to bend
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. ball — a round shape

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