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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: drill · coach · stand · branch · safe · hand · scale · degree

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. drill — army training
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. degree — from a university
  6. degree — an amount
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. hand — in cards
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. scale — in music
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. scale — size or range
  17. degree — temperature
  18. drill — the tool
  19. drill — a practice
  20. stand — to bear
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. branch — a division
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. hand — help

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