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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. degree — temperature
  4. spring — a coil
  5. spring — of water
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. branch — a division
  8. row — to paddle
  9. spring — the season
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. degree — an amount
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. degree — from a university
  16. wind — moving air
  17. wind — moving air
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. row — a line
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. branch — of a tree

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