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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: cell · bank · lie · wound · vault · bound · row · wind

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. bound — obliged
  3. bank — for money
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. cell — in biology
  6. wound — an injury
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. bound — certain
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. bound — tied together
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. lie — to recline
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. vault — a safe
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. wind — moving air
  18. wind — moving air
  19. row — a line
  20. wound — an injury
  21. bank — for money
  22. cell — a phone
  23. row — to paddle
  24. lie — an untruth

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