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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: clip · vault · current · wind · object · land · lean · wave

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. current — of water
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. wind — moving air
  5. clip — to cut
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. land — to come down
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. current — electric
  10. clip — for paper
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. wind — moving air
  13. object — a thing
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. clip — a video
  16. object — an aim
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. lean — to bend
  19. vault — a safe
  20. current — happening now
  21. object — to protest
  22. lean — thin
  23. land — a country
  24. wind — to turn a key

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