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

Word bank: leaves · temple · pound · content · chair · vault

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. chair — a leader
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. content — the amount
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. content — happy
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. vault — a safe
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. chair — to sit on

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