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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: branch · season · race · ruler · key · degree · spring · firm

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. spring — a coil
  4. key — the most important part
  5. season — in sport
  6. degree — from a university
  7. race — the arms race
  8. key — for a lock
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. race — humankind
  11. firm — steady
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. race — a contest
  15. firm — decided
  16. spring — the season
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. degree — temperature
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. degree — an amount
  21. branch — a division
  22. key — in music
  23. season — of the year
  24. spring — of water

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