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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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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: temple · vault · clip · club · bound · pound · bowl · lean

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. clip — a video
  3. lean — to bend
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. vault — a safe
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. club — a group
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. club — for golf
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. bound — obliged
  14. clip — for paper
  15. lean — thin
  16. club — for dancing
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. pound — a weight
  20. bound — certain
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. clip — to cut
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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