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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: club · rule · wound · spring · pound · vault · current · pitch

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. vault — a safe
  3. current — happening now
  4. spring — the season
  5. current — electric
  6. spring — of water
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. pound — a weight
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. pitch — completely
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. club — for golf
  14. rule — a law
  15. club — for dancing
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. wound — an injury
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. current — of water
  21. club — a group
  22. wound — an injury
  23. rule — government
  24. spring — a coil

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