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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: spell · saw · ruler · march · bark · trunk · fall · degree

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  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.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. 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. march — music
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. bark — to shout
  7. march — the month
  8. degree — from a university
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. fall — to drop
  11. fall — to drop
  12. fall — the season
  13. spell — magic
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. saw — the tool
  16. saw — the tool
  17. degree — an amount
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. spell — a short time
  21. spell — letters
  22. march — the month
  23. degree — temperature
  24. 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