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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: pop · wake · vault · wind · bound · can · scale · degree

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. scale — size or range
  3. scale — in music
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. pop — to visit
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. wind — moving air
  8. can — a tin
  9. wake — a trail
  10. bound — tied together
  11. degree — from a university
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. vault — a safe
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. can — a tin
  16. pop — soda
  17. degree — temperature
  18. degree — an amount
  19. pop — music
  20. bound — obliged
  21. bound — certain
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. can — to be able to
  24. wind — moving air

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