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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 120 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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. clip — to cut
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. drill — the tool
  6. degree — an amount
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. bark — to shout
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. clip — a video
  11. clip — for paper
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. degree — temperature
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. drill — a practice
  23. drill — army training
  24. trunk — of a car

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