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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: wave · vault · file · chip · board · cap · current · field

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  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. file — a tool
  2. board — to get on
  3. file — a line of people
  4. cap — a hat
  5. current — happening now
  6. field — a subject
  7. cap — a lid
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. cap — of ice
  10. file — a document
  11. current — of water
  12. field — farmland
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. current — electric
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. chip — for betting
  17. field — for sport
  18. board — a committee
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. vault — a safe
  23. chip — to eat
  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