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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: vault · cell · bound · charge · stick · tear · bank · snap

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. tear — from crying
  4. vault — a safe
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. charge — in control
  8. bound — obliged
  9. bank — for money
  10. tear — to rip
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. bank — for money
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. cell — in biology
  15. tear — from crying
  16. cell — a phone
  17. bound — certain
  18. snap — to click
  19. bank — of a river
  20. charge — a price
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. charge — electricity
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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