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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: stand · file · vault · club · degree · tube

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. file — a line of people
  3. degree — from a university
  4. vault — a safe
  5. degree — temperature
  6. club — for golf
  7. file — a document
  8. tube — the underground
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. stand — to bear
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. club — for dancing
  13. tube — a container
  14. file — a tool
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. club — a group
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. tube — in a tire

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