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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: spell · swing · track · chest · bulb · vault · bound · net

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. net — after costs
  3. bulb — for light
  4. swing — music
  5. net — for catching
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. track — a song
  8. net — in sport
  9. chest — of your body
  10. vault — a safe
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. spell — a short time
  13. chest — a box
  14. track — a path
  15. bulb — for light
  16. spell — magic
  17. spell — letters
  18. chest — of your body
  19. track — to keep track
  20. bound — obliged
  21. swing — to play on
  22. bound — certain
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. swing — in golf

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