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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: bear · bound · race · nail · mark · degree · shower · vault

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. bound — obliged
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. race — a contest
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. bear — the animal
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. race — humankind
  11. bound — certain
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. shower — rain
  14. vault — a safe
  15. degree — from a university
  16. race — the arms race
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. degree — temperature
  19. bear — the animal
  20. mark — a trace
  21. bound — tied together
  22. mark — a grade
  23. degree — an amount
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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