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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: wind · calf · degree · cap · spring · ground · land · vault

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. ground — the earth
  5. land — a country
  6. wind — moving air
  7. degree — from a university
  8. vault — a safe
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. spring — the season
  11. cap — a lid
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. wind — moving air
  14. cap — of ice
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. cap — a hat
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. spring — of water
  19. land — to come down
  20. degree — an amount
  21. spring — a coil
  22. degree — temperature
  23. land — ground
  24. ground — crushed

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