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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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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. last — finally
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. bore — to tire
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. bore — to drill
  9. cue — for pool
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. fall — the season
  12. last — to go on
  13. bank — of a river
  14. degree — from a university
  15. fall — to drop
  16. fall — to drop
  17. bank — for money
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. last — final
  20. cue — a hint
  21. bank — for money
  22. degree — temperature
  23. branch — a division
  24. cue — a signal

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