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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 · snap · vault · sharp · lean · fall · leaves · hand

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  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. sharp — with an edge
  2. sharp — clever
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. hand — help
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. bound — obliged
  7. fall — to drop
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. bound — certain
  11. hand — in cards
  12. vault — a safe
  13. snap — to click
  14. fall — the season
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. fall — to drop
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. lean — thin
  23. lean — to bend
  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