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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: lean · vault · cell · wave · current · clip

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. cell — a phone
  4. current — of water
  5. current — happening now
  6. vault — a safe
  7. clip — a video
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. current — electric
  10. lean — to bend
  11. cell — in biology
  12. lean — thin
  13. clip — to cut
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. cell — in a prison

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