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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: nail · patient · squash · present · degree · drill · vault · prune

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. squash — to crush
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. present — there
  5. degree — an amount
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. prune — to trim
  9. present — a gift
  10. degree — temperature
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. squash — the sport
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. drill — the tool
  15. drill — army training
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. present — the time now
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. drill — a practice
  23. prune — to trim
  24. vault — a safe

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