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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: cue · firm · bound · fork · stick · field · tear · vault

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. tear — from crying
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. firm — a company
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. firm — decided
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. bound — obliged
  12. field — a subject
  13. fork — in a road
  14. tear — from crying
  15. bound — tied together
  16. cue — a signal
  17. cue — a hint
  18. field — for sport
  19. firm — steady
  20. field — farmland
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. cue — for pool
  23. vault — a safe
  24. tear — to rip

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