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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 120 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: band · degree · clip · spring · mark · calf · safe · bear

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. bear — the animal
  3. degree — temperature
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. bear — the animal
  6. clip — a video
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. spring — the season
  9. degree — from a university
  10. spring — of water
  11. degree — an amount
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. band — a music group
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. mark — a trace
  18. spring — a coil
  19. clip — for paper
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. band — a ring
  23. mark — a grade
  24. mark — to pay attention

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