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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: saw · bound · plane · charge · bat · mine · vault · ground

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. saw — the tool
  7. ground — a position
  8. ground — the earth
  9. ground — crushed
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. charge — electricity
  13. charge — a price
  14. bound — certain
  15. plane — a tool
  16. bat — the animal
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. charge — in control
  19. mine — for digging
  20. bound — obliged
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. vault — a safe
  24. saw — the tool

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