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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: mug · degree · wake · prune · lean · vault · scale · arm

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. lean — thin
  3. degree — from a university
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. prune — to trim
  7. lean — to bend
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. prune — to trim
  13. mug — to rob
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. scale — in music
  17. vault — a safe
  18. mug — a face
  19. scale — size or range
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. mug — a cup
  22. degree — temperature
  23. degree — an amount
  24. wake — a trail

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