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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 116 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: squash · wake · club · degree · row · face · field · vault

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. face — to point toward
  4. wake — a trail
  5. club — for golf
  6. squash — the sport
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. field — a subject
  9. row — to paddle
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. squash — to crush
  12. vault — a safe
  13. face — to confront
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. degree — an amount
  16. club — a group
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. field — for sport
  19. field — farmland
  20. face — part of the head
  21. degree — temperature
  22. club — for dancing
  23. row — a line
  24. degree — from a university

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