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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 · spring · pound · land · bound · chip · sharp · can

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. chip — to eat
  4. bound — tied together
  5. chip — for betting
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. land — a country
  8. spring — of water
  9. pound — a weight
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. land — ground
  12. bound — obliged
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. bound — certain
  15. land — to come down
  16. spring — the season
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. vault — a safe
  19. spring — a coil
  20. can — a tin
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. sharp — clever
  23. can — to be able to
  24. pound — for dogs

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