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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: stem · wound · rock · degree · hide · roll · vault · court

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. court — of law
  3. stem — to come from
  4. wound — an injury
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. wound — an injury
  11. court — for sport
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. rock — music
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. degree — from a university
  16. roll — a cake
  17. vault — a safe
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. degree — an amount
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. degree — temperature
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. roll — a list
  24. rock — a stone

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