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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: rule · trunk · mine · ruler · mate · degree

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. degree — temperature
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. rule — government
  7. mate — to breed
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. degree — from a university
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. mine — for digging
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. rule — a law
  15. mate — a partner
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. degree — an amount
  18. trunk — of a car

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