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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: tear · spring · vault · degree · bowl · stand

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. degree — an amount
  4. spring — of water
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. spring — the season
  7. spring — a coil
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. stand — to bear
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. tear — to rip
  13. degree — temperature
  14. vault — a safe
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. degree — from a university
  17. tear — from crying
  18. stand — for spectators

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