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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 · hide · straw · dip · cold · vault · branch · wound

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. wound — an injury
  5. dip — to sink
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. cold — not warm
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. wound — an injury
  11. cold — an illness
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. branch — a division
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. bound — tied together
  19. bound — obliged
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. bound — certain
  24. vault — a safe

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