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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: bass · leaves · shower · chair · snap · vault · cell · bound

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. bound — certain
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. bass — the fish
  7. bass — low music
  8. chair — a leader
  9. cell — in biology
  10. cell — a phone
  11. snap — to click
  12. shower — rain
  13. shower — to wash
  14. vault — a safe
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. bound — tied together
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. bound — obliged
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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