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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: drill · vault · bound · degree · wound · date · ruler · calf

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. wound — an injury
  3. bound — tied together
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. drill — a practice
  6. drill — army training
  7. degree — from a university
  8. wound — an injury
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. drill — the tool
  14. bound — certain
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. date — the fruit
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. degree — temperature
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. bound — obliged
  24. vault — a safe

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