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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: wind · vault · degree · perch · bear · sharp · mine · coach

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. wind — moving air
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. wind — moving air
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. degree — from a university
  12. sharp — clever
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. vault — a safe
  18. bear — the animal
  19. perch — the fish
  20. bear — the animal
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. degree — an amount
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. mine — for digging

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