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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: vault · wake · hand · row · firm · degree · squash · can

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. firm — steady
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. squash — to crush
  5. can — a tin
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. wake — a trail
  8. degree — an amount
  9. firm — decided
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. row — a line
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. hand — in cards
  14. can — a tin
  15. row — to paddle
  16. firm — a company
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. can — to be able to
  19. vault — a safe
  20. degree — from a university
  21. degree — temperature
  22. hand — help
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. squash — the sport

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