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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 120 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: season · swing · degree · vault · present · perch · wax · chip

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. swing — to play on
  3. degree — temperature
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. perch — the fish
  8. swing — music
  9. present — there
  10. swing — in golf
  11. degree — an amount
  12. degree — from a university
  13. chip — to eat
  14. vault — a safe
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. wax — to grow
  18. present — the time now
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. chip — for betting
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. season — in sport
  24. present — a gift

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