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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: shower · bound · coach · straw · root · bulb · vault · pop

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. bulb — for light
  4. root — of a plant
  5. bound — obliged
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. pop — to visit
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. bound — certain
  10. shower — to wash
  11. root — of a word
  12. root — the cause
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. shower — rain
  15. bulb — for light
  16. pop — soda
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. vault — a safe
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. pop — music
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. bulb — of a plant

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