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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: plane · cold · arm · dip · tear · can · vault · bound

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. cold — not warm
  4. tear — from crying
  5. can — to be able to
  6. tear — to rip
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. bound — obliged
  9. tear — from crying
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. can — a tin
  12. cold — an illness
  13. vault — a safe
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. plane — a tool
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. dip — to sink
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. can — a tin
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. bound — tied together

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