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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 124 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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. wound — an injury
  3. bound — certain
  4. bound — tied together
  5. roll — a cake
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. bound — obliged
  8. clip — for paper
  9. band — a music group
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. clip — a video
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. bear — the animal
  19. clip — to cut
  20. bear — the animal
  21. band — a ring
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. roll — a list
  24. wound — an injury

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