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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: bore · vault · scale · degree · fork · row

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. degree — an amount
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. row — to paddle
  6. scale — in music
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. vault — a safe
  11. bore — to tire
  12. degree — from a university
  13. row — a line
  14. fork — in a road
  15. degree — temperature
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. bore — to drill
  18. scale — for weighing

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