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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: vault · straw · press · nail · clip · current · firm · field

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. press — newspapers
  3. field — a subject
  4. vault — a safe
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. firm — decided
  8. current — of water
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. clip — to cut
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. current — electric
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. field — farmland
  17. firm — steady
  18. clip — for paper
  19. current — happening now
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. press — a publisher
  22. field — for sport
  23. firm — a company
  24. press — to push

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