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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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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: cell · rest · vault · deal · wind · perch · prune · degree

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. deal — to handle
  6. degree — temperature
  7. degree — an amount
  8. vault — a safe
  9. prune — to trim
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. rest — what's left
  12. rest — what's left
  13. rest — a break
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. cell — in biology
  16. wind — moving air
  17. perch — the fish
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. wind — moving air
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. prune — to trim
  24. cell — a phone

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