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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: bear · track · pound · degree · vault · spell · content · rush

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. track — a song
  5. pound — a weight
  6. rush — hurry
  7. spell — a short time
  8. bear — the animal
  9. degree — from a university
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. spell — magic
  12. degree — an amount
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. vault — a safe
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. degree — temperature
  17. bear — the animal
  18. track — to keep track
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. track — a path
  22. content — happy
  23. content — the amount
  24. spell — letters

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