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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: straw · charge · stem · current · last · spring · vault · leaves

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  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. straw — dry grass
  2. last — to go on
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. charge — electricity
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. vault — a safe
  8. charge — a price
  9. spring — of water
  10. current — electric
  11. charge — in control
  12. current — happening now
  13. current — of water
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. spring — the season
  18. last — finally
  19. stem — to come from
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. last — final
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  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