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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 120 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: wave · capital · vault · rush · bound · deal · fall · fine

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. rush — hurry
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. capital — a city
  5. capital — money
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. bound — obliged
  9. fall — to drop
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. fine — all right
  12. vault — a safe
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. bound — tied together
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. deal — to handle
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. fall — the season
  20. bound — certain
  21. fine — high quality
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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