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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 116 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: vault · march · field · tear · cabinet · bound · branch · bay

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. field — for sport
  3. bound — obliged
  4. tear — to rip
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. vault — a safe
  8. bound — tied together
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. field — a subject
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. march — the month
  17. march — music
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. march — the month
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. branch — a division
  22. tear — from crying
  23. tear — from crying
  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