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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: craft · degree · race · pop · wake · temple · object · key

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. object — a thing
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. object — to protest
  5. craft — a skill
  6. pop — soda
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. pop — to visit
  9. key — the most important part
  10. key — in music
  11. object — an aim
  12. race — a contest
  13. race — the arms race
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. degree — from a university
  17. race — humankind
  18. degree — temperature
  19. pop — music
  20. wake — a trail
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. key — for a lock
  24. degree — an amount

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