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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.

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: bound · club · last · spring · present · chair · vault · bark

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. spring — a coil
  3. vault — a safe
  4. last — finally
  5. last — final
  6. last — to go on
  7. bark — to shout
  8. bound — certain
  9. club — for dancing
  10. present — there
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. bound — tied together
  13. bound — obliged
  14. spring — of water
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. present — the time now
  17. club — for golf
  18. club — a group
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. spring — the season
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. present — a gift

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