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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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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: stick · wind · clip · fine · key · land · vault · stem

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. clip — to cut
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. vault — a safe
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. clip — a video
  10. fine — all right
  11. key — the most important part
  12. land — to come down
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. stem — to come from
  16. key — for a lock
  17. fine — high quality
  18. key — in music
  19. clip — for paper
  20. land — ground
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. wind — moving air
  23. wind — moving air
  24. stem — a stem cell

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