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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: ruler · perch · object · craft · rest · degree

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. perch — the fish
  4. degree — from a university
  5. craft — a skill
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. rest — what's left
  9. degree — temperature
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. craft — boats
  12. degree — an amount
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. rest — a break
  15. rest — what's left
  16. object — an aim
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. object — a thing

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