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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: track · stem · vault · degree · roll · wake · kid · toast

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. vault — a safe
  3. track — a path
  4. degree — temperature
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. toast — bread
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. track — a song
  11. wake — a trail
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. track — to keep track
  16. stem — to come from
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. kid — to tease
  19. roll — a list
  20. degree — an amount
  21. roll — a cake
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. kid — child

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