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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 116 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: spring · can · degree · safe · clip · object · wound · last

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. object — an aim
  3. object — a thing
  4. clip — for paper
  5. degree — temperature
  6. spring — of water
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. wound — an injury
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. degree — an amount
  11. can — a tin
  12. spring — a coil
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. wound — an injury
  15. object — to protest
  16. last — to go on
  17. clip — a video
  18. clip — to cut
  19. can — to be able to
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. last — finally
  22. degree — from a university
  23. can — a tin
  24. last — final

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