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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 116 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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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 · perch · mate · cell · pop · fork · vault · shower

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. cell — in biology
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. fork — in a road
  6. mate — a partner
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. perch — the fish
  10. pop — music
  11. mate — a friend
  12. bound — tied together
  13. pop — to visit
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. vault — a safe
  16. shower — to wash
  17. mate — to breed
  18. bound — certain
  19. shower — rain
  20. bound — obliged
  21. pop — soda
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. cell — a phone
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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