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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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Word bank
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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: ground · bound · pound · nail · roll · prune · vault · season

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. vault — a safe
  3. ground — a position
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. ground — crushed
  6. bound — obliged
  7. roll — a cake
  8. prune — to trim
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. prune — to trim
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. season — of the year
  15. season — in sport
  16. bound — certain
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. ground — the earth
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. bound — tied together
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. pound — a weight
  24. roll — a list

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