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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: lean · vault · cell · wave · current · clip · land · race

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. land — a country
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. land — ground
  5. race — a contest
  6. race — the arms race
  7. current — electric
  8. race — humankind
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. land — to come down
  12. cell — in biology
  13. cell — a phone
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. clip — for paper
  16. vault — a safe
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. lean — to bend
  19. clip — to cut
  20. clip — a video
  21. current — happening now
  22. current — of water
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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