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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: bass · vault · rest · degree · jam · land · wake · hide

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. rest — what's left
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. land — a country
  5. land — to come down
  6. degree — an amount
  7. land — ground
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. rest — what's left
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. vault — a safe
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. degree — from a university
  15. wake — a trail
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. degree — temperature
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. bass — low music
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. bass — the fish
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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