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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 · pop · staff · firm · vault · capital · date · spring

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. pop — music
  3. spring — the season
  4. bound — obliged
  5. staff — employees
  6. firm — steady
  7. bound — certain
  8. capital — money
  9. pop — soda
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. pop — to visit
  13. date — the fruit
  14. spring — a coil
  15. firm — a company
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. staff — employees
  18. firm — decided
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. staff — a stick
  22. capital — a city
  23. spring — of water
  24. bound — tied together

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