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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  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. ruler — a monarch
  2. object — to protest
  3. degree — temperature
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. object — an aim
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. degree — from a university
  8. mine — for digging
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. pound — a weight
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. object — a thing
  19. branch — a division
  20. deal — to handle
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. degree — an amount

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