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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 · club · rule · coach · lean · cabinet · degree · spell

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. spell — a short time
  5. club — for golf
  6. lean — to bend
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. rule — a law
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. degree — from a university
  12. degree — an amount
  13. spell — magic
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. degree — temperature
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. club — for dancing
  19. vault — a safe
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. rule — government
  23. spell — letters
  24. club — a group

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