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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: ruler · vault · degree · board · wax · field

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. 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. degree — from a university
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. field — a subject
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. wax — to grow
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. field — for sport
  11. field — farmland
  12. board — to get on
  13. degree — an amount
  14. board — a committee
  15. vault — a safe
  16. degree — temperature
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. 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