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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: bound · bore · vault · swing · bass · shower · wind · jam

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. wind — moving air
  3. bass — the fish
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. vault — a safe
  6. bore — to tire
  7. shower — to wash
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. bore — to drill
  10. bound — obliged
  11. bass — low music
  12. swing — music
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. swing — to play on
  16. wind — moving air
  17. bound — tied together
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. bound — certain
  20. shower — rain
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. swing — in golf
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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