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

Word bank: ground · rest · charge · ruler · degree · bank

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. ground — a position
  3. ground — crushed
  4. charge — electricity
  5. bank — for money
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. ground — the earth
  8. bank — of a river
  9. degree — from a university
  10. rest — what's left
  11. degree — temperature
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. bank — for money
  14. rest — a break
  15. rest — what's left
  16. charge — in control
  17. degree — an amount
  18. ruler — for measuring

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