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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: degree · spring · fall · drill · branch · safe · squash · spell

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. degree — from a university
  5. degree — an amount
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. drill — a practice
  8. drill — the tool
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. spell — letters
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. branch — a division
  13. fall — to drop
  14. spell — magic
  15. spring — a coil
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. spell — a short time
  18. squash — the sport
  19. degree — temperature
  20. drill — army training
  21. spring — the season
  22. squash — to crush
  23. spring — of water
  24. fall — the season

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