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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: rush · current · bark · capital · hand · bound · face · vault

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. face — part of the head
  4. capital — money
  5. hand — in cards
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. capital — a city
  8. current — happening now
  9. current — of water
  10. rush — hurry
  11. vault — a safe
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. hand — help
  14. face — to confront
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. face — to point toward
  18. bound — certain
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. bark — to shout
  21. current — electric
  22. bound — obliged
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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