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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: content · stand · dip · spring · degree · mouse · vault · roll

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. degree — from a university
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. stand — to bear
  7. spring — a coil
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. roll — a list
  10. spring — of water
  11. roll — a cake
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. degree — temperature
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. dip — to sink
  20. content — the amount
  21. vault — a safe
  22. degree — an amount
  23. spring — the season
  24. dip — a sauce

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