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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: chest · object · bay · vault · bound · fall · straw · fan

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. object — to protest
  3. chest — a box
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. object — an aim
  8. chest — of your body
  9. chest — of your body
  10. fall — to drop
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. fall — the season
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. fall — to drop
  16. object — a thing
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. vault — a safe
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. bound — tied together
  24. bound — certain

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