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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 120 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: wind · current · leaves · vault · clip · kick

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. clip — to cut
  3. current — of water
  4. vault — a safe
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. wind — moving air
  7. wind — moving air
  8. clip — for paper
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. kick — in football
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. current — happening now
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. clip — a video
  18. kick — a thrill

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