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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: bound · chest · ground · wound · stick · vault · season · mate

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. bound — obliged
  3. season — of the year
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. vault — a safe
  6. ground — the earth
  7. mate — a friend
  8. season — in sport
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. ground — a position
  13. chest — of your body
  14. bound — certain
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wound — an injury
  18. bound — tied together
  19. chest — of your body
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. mate — a partner
  23. mate — to breed
  24. chest — a box

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