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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: vault · lash · band · drill · degree · deal · swing · pitcher

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. degree — an amount
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. drill — army training
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. drill — the tool
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. swing — in golf
  12. band — a music group
  13. swing — to play on
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. drill — a practice
  17. degree — from a university
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. band — a ring
  20. degree — temperature
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. vault — a safe
  23. deal — to handle
  24. swing — music

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