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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: capital · safe · wound · vault · shower · lash · perch · degree

  1. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. perch — the fish
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. wound — an injury
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. vault — a safe
  10. degree — an amount
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. degree — temperature
  13. shower — rain
  14. wound — an injury
  15. shower — to wash
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. capital — money
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. capital — a city
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. degree — from a university
  24. lash — to lash out

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