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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: spring · tear · ruler · arm · degree · chair · band · nail

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. tear — from crying
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. band — a ring
  9. tear — from crying
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. tear — to rip
  12. chair — a leader
  13. degree — temperature
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. degree — from a university
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. spring — the season
  19. spring — of water
  20. degree — an amount
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. spring — a coil

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