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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: degree · straw · vault · mug · nail · prune · pitcher · date

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  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. straw — a straw man
  2. prune — to trim
  3. degree — an amount
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. degree — from a university
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. mug — a cup
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. degree — temperature
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. mug — to rob
  19. mug — a face
  20. prune — to trim
  21. date — the fruit
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. date — on the calendar
  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