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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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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 · vault · drill · arm · current · pound · toast · degree

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  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. arm — a part of something
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. toast — bread
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. drill — the tool
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. bear — the animal
  8. current — happening now
  9. degree — from a university
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. pound — a weight
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. bear — the animal
  16. current — of water
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. degree — temperature
  19. degree — an amount
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. current — electric
  22. drill — a practice
  23. drill — army training
  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