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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: bass · degree · swing · perch · nail · vault · snap · stem

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. degree — an amount
  3. bass — the fish
  4. degree — temperature
  5. perch — the fish
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. bass — low music
  11. swing — music
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. degree — from a university
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. vault — a safe
  16. stem — to come from
  17. swing — in golf
  18. snap — to click
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. swing — to play on
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. stem — a stem cell

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