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

Word bank: craft · branch · wind · ruler · degree · board

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. wind — moving air
  3. wind — moving air
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. craft — boats
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. craft — a skill
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. degree — from a university
  12. board — a committee
  13. degree — an amount
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. degree — temperature
  16. branch — a division
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. craft — a handicraft

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