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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: safe · field · scale · spring · degree · land · bear · lean

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. field — a subject
  3. land — ground
  4. spring — a coil
  5. lean — thin
  6. degree — temperature
  7. scale — in music
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. land — a country
  10. spring — of water
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. land — to come down
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. spring — the season
  15. field — for sport
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. scale — size or range
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bear — the animal
  21. degree — from a university
  22. degree — an amount
  23. field — farmland
  24. lean — to bend

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