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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. degree — temperature
  3. bank — for money
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. vault — a safe
  6. season — of the year
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. season — in sport
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. degree — from a university
  13. bank — of a river
  14. prune — to trim
  15. bank — for money
  16. staff — employees
  17. kid — to tease
  18. staff — a stick
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. prune — to trim
  21. kid — child
  22. degree — an amount
  23. rush — hurry
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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