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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: spring · season · track · key · degree · branch · wax · safe

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. season — of the year
  4. key — in music
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. season — in sport
  7. degree — from a university
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. branch — a division
  12. key — the most important part
  13. degree — temperature
  14. key — for a lock
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. degree — an amount
  17. wax — to grow
  18. track — to keep track
  19. track — a song
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. spring — the season
  22. spring — a coil
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. track — a path

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