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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: file · clip · rush · board · vault · bank · wake · field

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. wake — a trail
  3. file — a tool
  4. board — to get on
  5. vault — a safe
  6. file — a document
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. field — farmland
  9. bank — of a river
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. clip — for paper
  12. board — a committee
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. bank — for money
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. file — a line of people
  17. bank — for money
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. field — for sport
  20. clip — to cut
  21. clip — a video
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. rush — hurry

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