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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: safe · spring · coach · racket · fork · calf · row · degree

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. fork — in a road
  3. row — a line
  4. spring — a coil
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. spring — of water
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. degree — an amount
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. row — to paddle
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. degree — temperature
  22. spring — the season
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. fork — to eat with

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