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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: bass · vault · tube · spring · content · kick · bound · perch

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. bound — certain
  3. spring — of water
  4. bound — obliged
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. vault — a safe
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. content — the amount
  10. bound — tied together
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. spring — a coil
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. kick — in football
  15. tube — the underground
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. spring — the season
  18. content — happy
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. perch — the fish
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. tube — a container
  24. bass — the fish

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