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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: bank · degree · rock · field · calf · can · spring · safe

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. spring — of water
  4. rock — music
  5. bank — for money
  6. can — a tin
  7. spring — the season
  8. field — for sport
  9. spring — a coil
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. field — farmland
  12. can — a tin
  13. bank — of a river
  14. can — to be able to
  15. degree — an amount
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. degree — from a university
  18. degree — temperature
  19. bank — for money
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. rock — a stone
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. calf — a young animal

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