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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: dip · bay · game · branch · safe · degree · wind · spell

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. spell — letters
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. wind — moving air
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. wind — moving air
  10. degree — temperature
  11. game — wild animals
  12. game — a match
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. spell — magic
  17. degree — from a university
  18. branch — a division
  19. spell — a short time
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. degree — an amount
  22. dip — to sink
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. safe — out of danger

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