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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: lean · bound · band · ground · straw · tube · game · vault

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. ground — a position
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. band — a ring
  7. game — a match
  8. tube — a container
  9. lean — thin
  10. bound — obliged
  11. bound — certain
  12. vault — a safe
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. lean — to bend
  15. tube — the underground
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. ground — the earth
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. game — wild animals
  20. band — a music group
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. bound — tied together
  23. ground — crushed
  24. band — a rubber band

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