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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: season · spring · bay · safe · current · bark · degree · branch

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. spring — of water
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. current — electric
  5. degree — an amount
  6. bark — to shout
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. current — happening now
  10. spring — the season
  11. season — of the year
  12. season — in sport
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. degree — from a university
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. branch — a division
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. degree — temperature
  22. current — of water
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. spring — a coil

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