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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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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: mouse · current · bass · fork · present · vault · tear · mate

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. current — of water
  4. bass — low music
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. current — happening now
  10. tear — from crying
  11. mate — to breed
  12. bass — the fish
  13. vault — a safe
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. present — a gift
  16. mate — a partner
  17. present — there
  18. tear — from crying
  19. present — the time now
  20. fork — in a road
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. mate — a friend
  24. tear — to rip

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