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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: cold · bound · hand · bulb · pound · fork · vault · racket

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. bound — tied together
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. cold — not warm
  8. bound — certain
  9. hand — in cards
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. fork — in a road
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. pound — a weight
  16. bulb — for light
  17. vault — a safe
  18. bound — obliged
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. bulb — for light
  21. hand — help
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. cold — an illness

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