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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: vault · mug · pit · hand · leaves · tear · bound · cap

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  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. cap — of ice
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. pit — a hole
  5. hand — help
  6. bound — tied together
  7. hand — in cards
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. mug — a cup
  10. vault — a safe
  11. tear — to rip
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. pit — in a race
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. mug — a face
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. mug — to rob
  20. tear — from crying
  21. cap — a lid
  22. tear — from crying
  23. cap — a hat
  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