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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: vault · rash · bound · bass · clip · toast · pound · stand

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. clip — a video
  3. clip — for paper
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. stand — to bear
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. pound — a weight
  10. rash — hasty
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. vault — a safe
  13. bound — obliged
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. bass — the fish
  17. toast — bread
  18. bound — tied together
  19. bass — low music
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. rash — a series
  23. clip — to cut
  24. pound — to hit hard

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