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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: bass · wind · present · band · perch · bound · pit · vault

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. bound — certain
  3. present — there
  4. band — a ring
  5. bound — obliged
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. perch — the fish
  8. bass — the fish
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. pit — a hole
  14. bass — low music
  15. present — the time now
  16. pit — in a race
  17. present — a gift
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. band — a music group
  20. wind — moving air
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. bound — tied together
  24. vault — a safe

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