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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: tear · bound · pop · vault · club · can · spell · mouse

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. tear — from crying
  4. spell — magic
  5. bound — tied together
  6. can — to be able to
  7. bound — obliged
  8. tear — from crying
  9. can — a tin
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. pop — to visit
  12. tear — to rip
  13. pop — music
  14. pop — soda
  15. vault — a safe
  16. spell — a short time
  17. club — for dancing
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. club — a group
  21. bound — certain
  22. can — a tin
  23. club — for golf
  24. spell — letters

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