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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: key · prune · cell · firm · degree · vault · tube · rash

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. firm — a company
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. cell — a phone
  6. firm — steady
  7. prune — to trim
  8. key — for a lock
  9. firm — decided
  10. key — in music
  11. rash — a series
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. key — the most important part
  15. degree — from a university
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. tube — the underground
  18. cell — in biology
  19. prune — to trim
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. vault — a safe
  22. degree — an amount
  23. tube — a container
  24. rash — hasty

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