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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 · firm · board · rule · nail · degree · march · key

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. spring — the season
  3. degree — from a university
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. march — music
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. key — in music
  9. firm — a company
  10. march — the month
  11. spring — of water
  12. march — the month
  13. board — to get on
  14. degree — an amount
  15. key — the most important part
  16. board — a committee
  17. rule — a law
  18. degree — temperature
  19. firm — decided
  20. key — for a lock
  21. spring — a coil
  22. rule — government
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. nail — for a hammer

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