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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: tear · ruler · foot · degree · bank · coach

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. tear — from crying
  3. foot — a measure
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. bank — for money
  6. degree — temperature
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. tear — to rip
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. bank — of a river
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. degree — from a university
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. tear — from crying
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. bank — for money
  17. foot — the bottom
  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