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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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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: degree · chest · vault · bore · root · dip · leaves · fall

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. chest — of your body
  6. root — the cause
  7. bore — to drill
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. root — of a word
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. chest — a box
  12. root — of a plant
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. vault — a safe
  15. chest — of your body
  16. fall — to drop
  17. degree — an amount
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. degree — from a university
  20. fall — to drop
  21. dip — to sink
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. bore — to tire
  24. degree — temperature

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