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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.

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: hand · spring · safe · mug · stock · craft · degree · kick

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. mug — to rob
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. degree — an amount
  5. degree — from a university
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. spring — of water
  8. craft — boats
  9. spring — the season
  10. spring — a coil
  11. craft — a skill
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. mug — a cup
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. stock — goods
  17. stock — shares
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. degree — temperature
  20. hand — in cards
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. kick — in football
  23. hand — help
  24. stock — a soup base

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