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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: file · pop · prune · wound · pass · pit · vault · degree

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. vault — a safe
  3. file — a tool
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. prune — to trim
  7. prune — to trim
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. pass — a permit
  10. file — a document
  11. degree — temperature
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. wound — an injury
  14. degree — an amount
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. pop — to visit
  18. pop — music
  19. pop — soda
  20. pit — in a race
  21. file — a line of people
  22. pit — a hole
  23. wound — an injury
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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