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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: bear · wave · club · squash · vault · mine · mark · degree

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. mark — a trace
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. bear — the animal
  5. club — for dancing
  6. club — for golf
  7. squash — the sport
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. vault — a safe
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. bear — the animal
  17. degree — temperature
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. degree — from a university
  20. degree — an amount
  21. mark — a grade
  22. mine — for digging
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. squash — to crush

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