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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 · perch · club · safe · season · degree · root · temple

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. season — in sport
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. degree — temperature
  5. club — for golf
  6. season — of the year
  7. spring — a coil
  8. club — a group
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. root — of a plant
  13. root — the cause
  14. degree — from a university
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. spring — the season
  21. perch — the fish
  22. spring — of water
  23. root — of a word
  24. degree — an amount

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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