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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bound · mine · vault · file · season · dip · deal · arm

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. vault — a safe
  5. bound — certain
  6. season — of the year
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. dip — to sink
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. file — a line of people
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. file — a document
  16. mine — for digging
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. bound — obliged
  20. season — in sport
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. bound — tied together
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. deal — to handle

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