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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: drill · bowl · safe · degree · stem · fork · spring · squash

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  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. bowl — a dish
  2. spring — the season
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. spring — a coil
  5. degree — temperature
  6. drill — the tool
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. stem — to come from
  9. drill — a practice
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. drill — army training
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. spring — of water
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. fork — in a road
  18. squash — to crush
  19. squash — the sport
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. degree — an amount
  23. stem — of a plant
  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