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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: row · squash · prune · chest · vault · bound · cap · bass

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. bound — tied together
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. vault — a safe
  5. chest — of your body
  6. cap — a hat
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. chest — a box
  9. bass — the fish
  10. row — to paddle
  11. prune — to trim
  12. cap — a lid
  13. chest — of your body
  14. row — a line
  15. squash — to crush
  16. cap — of ice
  17. bound — certain
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. bass — low music
  20. squash — the sport
  21. prune — to trim
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. bound — obliged

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