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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: chest · tear · ruler · degree · leaves · vault

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. chest — of your body
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. degree — from a university
  5. chest — of your body
  6. chest — a box
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. degree — temperature
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. degree — an amount
  12. tear — from crying
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. vault — a safe
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. tear — from crying
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. tear — to rip

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