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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: cabinet · lash · vault · drill · fall · degree · perch · spring

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. degree — temperature
  3. drill — a practice
  4. spring — a coil
  5. vault — a safe
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. degree — an amount
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. spring — the season
  11. drill — the tool
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. perch — the fish
  14. spring — of water
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. degree — from a university
  17. fall — to drop
  18. fall — to drop
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. fall — the season
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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