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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: straw · degree · nail · lie · season · spring · trunk · safe

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. spring — the season
  4. lie — to recline
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. season — in sport
  9. spring — of water
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. degree — an amount
  13. spring — a coil
  14. season — of the year
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. degree — temperature
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. season — to add flavour

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