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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: spring · bound · fine · vault · roll · content · pound · stick

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. fine — high quality
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. bound — tied together
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. vault — a safe
  7. spring — of water
  8. bound — certain
  9. roll — a cake
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. bound — obliged
  12. pound — a weight
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. roll — a list
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. spring — the season
  18. content — happy
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. spring — a coil
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. fine — all right
  24. pound — to hit hard

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