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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: vault · land · current · face · lean · track · clip · sharp

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. face — to point toward
  3. lean — to bend
  4. land — ground
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. face — to confront
  7. current — of water
  8. current — electric
  9. face — part of the head
  10. clip — a video
  11. clip — to cut
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. current — happening now
  14. track — a song
  15. vault — a safe
  16. sharp — clever
  17. land — a country
  18. clip — for paper
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. lean — thin
  21. track — to keep track
  22. land — to come down
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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