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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: vault · shower · current · chair · ground · wake · stem · fork

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. fork — in a road
  4. current — of water
  5. chair — a leader
  6. shower — rain
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. vault — a safe
  9. ground — a position
  10. wake — a trail
  11. ground — crushed
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. current — electric
  15. stem — to come from
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. current — happening now
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. ground — the earth
  23. shower — to wash
  24. chair — to sit on

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