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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: bound · fall · lie · wind · perch · vault · court · stand

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wind — moving air
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. court — of law
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. bound — certain
  8. perch — the fish
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. lie — to recline
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. bound — tied together
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. stand — to bear
  17. fall — to drop
  18. bound — obliged
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. vault — a safe
  21. fall — the season
  22. court — of a king
  23. fall — to drop
  24. court — for sport

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