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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: bound · toast · cap · perch · vault · fork · wax · lean

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. toast — bread
  3. fork — in a road
  4. cap — a hat
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. bound — certain
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. bound — tied together
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. vault — a safe
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. wax — to grow
  14. lean — to bend
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. cap — of ice
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. perch — the fish
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. cap — a lid
  24. lean — thin

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