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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: degree · track · bank · present · safe · squash · spring · ground

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. squash — the sport
  3. ground — the earth
  4. present — there
  5. bank — for money
  6. present — a gift
  7. present — the time now
  8. degree — an amount
  9. spring — the season
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. track — a song
  12. ground — a position
  13. spring — of water
  14. ground — crushed
  15. squash — to crush
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. bank — for money
  18. degree — temperature
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. bank — of a river
  21. spring — a coil
  22. track — a path
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. degree — from a university

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