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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: vault · land · lean · pop · perch · spell · degree · coach

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. spell — letters
  3. land — a country
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. degree — from a university
  6. lean — to bend
  7. pop — soda
  8. degree — temperature
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. degree — an amount
  12. spell — magic
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. pop — music
  15. pop — to visit
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. land — to come down
  20. vault — a safe
  21. land — ground
  22. lean — thin
  23. perch — the fish
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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