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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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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: straw · vault · object · suit · band · perch · degree · tear

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. degree — temperature
  3. degree — an amount
  4. suit — clothes
  5. object — to protest
  6. tear — to rip
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. band — a ring
  9. band — a music group
  10. perch — the fish
  11. suit — in cards
  12. object — a thing
  13. tear — from crying
  14. tear — from crying
  15. suit — to fit
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. object — an aim
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. degree — from a university
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. perch — for a bird

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