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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: degree · ruler · toast · bark · shower · craft

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. degree — an amount
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. shower — rain
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. degree — from a university
  7. craft — a skill
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. shower — to wash
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. craft — boats
  16. bark — to shout
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. degree — temperature

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