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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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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: hide · vault · fall · sharp · cell · bound · root · pop

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. cell — in biology
  3. sharp — clever
  4. pop — to visit
  5. cell — a phone
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. pop — music
  8. fall — to drop
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. pop — soda
  11. root — of a plant
  12. bound — certain
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. vault — a safe
  16. root — the cause
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. bound — obliged
  19. fall — to drop
  20. bound — tied together
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. root — of a word
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. fall — the season

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