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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: press · wax · cap · bay · toast · calf · degree · vault

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. press — a publisher
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. press — to push
  6. cap — of ice
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. cap — a hat
  10. press — newspapers
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. cap — a lid
  14. degree — an amount
  15. vault — a safe
  16. toast — bread
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. wax — to grow
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. degree — temperature
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. bay — a horse colour

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