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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: pound · vault · hide · march · tube · ball · bound · rule

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. tube — the underground
  4. vault — a safe
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. bound — tied together
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. rule — a law
  9. ball — a great time
  10. march — the month
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. bound — certain
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. tube — a container
  16. pound — a weight
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. march — music
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. bound — obliged
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. rule — government
  23. ball — a dance
  24. march — the month

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