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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: rock · vault · mouse · fall · capital · lie · object · bound

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. object — to protest
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. fall — to drop
  7. vault — a safe
  8. bound — certain
  9. fall — the season
  10. capital — a city
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. rock — music
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. fall — to drop
  15. bound — obliged
  16. lie — to recline
  17. bound — tied together
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. object — a thing
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. rock — a stone
  23. capital — money
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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