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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: bowl · hand · prune · vault · degree · tear · mug · stick

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. degree — an amount
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. prune — to trim
  8. mug — a cup
  9. degree — from a university
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. vault — a safe
  13. degree — temperature
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. hand — help
  16. tear — from crying
  17. tear — to rip
  18. mug — to rob
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. prune — to trim
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. tear — from crying
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. mug — a face

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