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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: last · firm · arm · land · vault · leaves · temple · bound

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. land — ground
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. firm — steady
  9. last — finally
  10. bound — certain
  11. land — a country
  12. land — to come down
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. firm — decided
  15. bound — obliged
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. vault — a safe
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. firm — a company
  20. last — to go on
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. bound — tied together
  24. arm — part of the body

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