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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: ground · bound · vault · press · object · straw · degree · club

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. press — newspapers
  3. object — a thing
  4. degree — from a university
  5. ground — the earth
  6. degree — an amount
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. object — an aim
  10. bound — obliged
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. ground — a position
  13. bound — tied together
  14. object — to protest
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. bound — certain
  17. press — to push
  18. vault — a safe
  19. degree — temperature
  20. club — a group
  21. press — a publisher
  22. club — for golf
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. ground — crushed

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