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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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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: object · craft · bore · kid · degree · vault

  1. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. bore — to tire
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. kid — to tease
  5. craft — a skill
  6. object — to protest
  7. kid — child
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. degree — temperature
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. object — a thing
  12. object — an aim
  13. bore — to drill
  14. vault — a safe
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. degree — from a university
  17. craft — boats
  18. degree — an amount

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