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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: mug · wound · cap · net · rash · object · vault · current

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. mug — a face
  3. current — of water
  4. rash — hasty
  5. wound — an injury
  6. rash — a series
  7. current — happening now
  8. vault — a safe
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. current — electric
  11. mug — to rob
  12. net — in sport
  13. net — for catching
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. mug — a cup
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. wound — an injury
  18. cap — a hat
  19. object — an aim
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. cap — of ice
  22. object — a thing
  23. cap — a lid
  24. net — after costs

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