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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. track — a song
  3. vault — a safe
  4. bound — certain
  5. spring — the season
  6. bound — tied together
  7. track — a path
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. fall — to drop
  10. spring — of water
  11. saw — the tool
  12. saw — the tool
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. track — to keep track
  15. spring — a coil
  16. present — the time now
  17. wind — moving air
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. present — there
  20. present — a gift
  21. fall — to drop
  22. fall — the season
  23. wind — moving air
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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