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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: bound · current · clip · land · spell · ground · vault · saw

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. saw — the tool
  3. ground — a position
  4. ground — the earth
  5. clip — a video
  6. land — a country
  7. spell — magic
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. spell — letters
  10. bound — tied together
  11. current — electric
  12. clip — for paper
  13. current — of water
  14. saw — the tool
  15. ground — crushed
  16. land — to come down
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. bound — certain
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. land — ground
  21. clip — to cut
  22. bound — obliged
  23. current — happening now
  24. spell — a short time

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