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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.

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: vault · bass · ground · mate · season · tube · bound · pop

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. mate — to breed
  3. pop — to visit
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. mate — a partner
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. ground — the earth
  8. tube — the underground
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. ground — crushed
  11. pop — music
  12. ground — a position
  13. bass — low music
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. bound — certain
  16. bass — the fish
  17. bound — obliged
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. vault — a safe
  20. season — in sport
  21. tube — a container
  22. season — of the year
  23. mate — a friend
  24. pop — soda

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