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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: stick · club · spring · drill · cabinet · degree · ruler · safe

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. spring — a coil
  3. degree — an amount
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. degree — from a university
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. club — a group
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. drill — army training
  11. spring — the season
  12. drill — the tool
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. spring — of water
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. club — for dancing
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. degree — temperature
  23. club — for golf
  24. drill — a practice

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