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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: land · hand · swing · tube · current · vault · straw · saw

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. saw — the tool
  3. land — a country
  4. current — of water
  5. tube — the underground
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. land — ground
  8. swing — music
  9. saw — the tool
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. swing — in golf
  13. current — electric
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. hand — help
  19. vault — a safe
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. swing — to play on
  22. land — to come down
  23. hand — in cards
  24. current — happening now

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