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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: bound · ground · hand · tube · wound · vault · object · pass

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. bound — certain
  3. tube — a container
  4. pass — a permit
  5. vault — a safe
  6. wound — an injury
  7. ground — crushed
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. object — a thing
  11. ground — a position
  12. wound — an injury
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. object — to protest
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. bound — tied together
  18. hand — in cards
  19. ground — the earth
  20. hand — help
  21. tube — the underground
  22. object — an aim
  23. bound — obliged
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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