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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: shower · degree · bass · safe · wake · dip · vault · rash

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. degree — from a university
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. rash — a series
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. vault — a safe
  9. wake — a trail
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. degree — temperature
  12. dip — to sink
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. bass — low music
  15. shower — to wash
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. shower — rain
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. bass — the fish
  24. degree — an amount

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