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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: wax · trunk · race · deal · vault · saw · scale · degree

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. scale — size or range
  4. deal — to handle
  5. degree — from a university
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. degree — temperature
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. vault — a safe
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. saw — the tool
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. scale — in music
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. saw — the tool
  18. race — the arms race
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. degree — an amount
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. wax — to grow
  23. race — a contest
  24. race — humankind

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