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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: court · staff · branch · firm · bound · rule · trunk · vault

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. court — of a king
  4. bound — certain
  5. staff — employees
  6. staff — a stick
  7. court — for sport
  8. rule — a law
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. bound — obliged
  11. staff — employees
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. court — of law
  14. firm — decided
  15. firm — steady
  16. bound — tied together
  17. firm — a company
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. branch — a division
  24. rule — government

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