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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. bank — of a river
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. spring — a coil
  5. squash — the sport
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. bound — tied together
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. wound — an injury
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. bat — the animal
  13. fine — high quality
  14. bound — certain
  15. bank — for money
  16. vault — a safe
  17. fine — all right
  18. bank — for money
  19. spring — the season
  20. squash — to crush
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. spring — of water

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