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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 120 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: club · pound · fan · vault · bound · rush · fine · cell

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. club — for dancing
  4. bound — tied together
  5. bound — obliged
  6. cell — a phone
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. club — for golf
  10. pound — a weight
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. bound — certain
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. rush — hurry
  16. club — a group
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. fine — high quality
  19. fine — all right
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. vault — a safe
  23. cell — in biology
  24. rush — a thrill

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