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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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Word bank
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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: cold · suit · vault · spell · degree · stand · bore · arm

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. degree — an amount
  3. spell — a short time
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. vault — a safe
  7. suit — in cards
  8. cold — not warm
  9. bore — to drill
  10. spell — letters
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. suit — to fit
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. stand — to bear
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. suit — clothes
  20. degree — temperature
  21. degree — from a university
  22. bore — to tire
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. cold — an illness

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