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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 · safe · degree · lean · stand · cold · trunk · ruler

  1. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. degree — temperature
  6. stand — to bear
  7. lean — thin
  8. spring — the season
  9. cold — an illness
  10. lean — to bend
  11. spring — of water
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. spring — a coil
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. degree — from a university
  17. cold — not warm
  18. degree — an amount
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. ruler — for measuring

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