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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 · vault · date · hide · leaves · charge · pop · saw

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. vault — a safe
  3. pop — soda
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. bound — obliged
  7. charge — electricity
  8. pop — to visit
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. pop — music
  11. bound — certain
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. charge — in control
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. saw — the tool
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. date — the fruit
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. bound — tied together
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. saw — the tool

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