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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 116 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: ruler · saw · trunk · clip · fan · degree · mug · net

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. clip — to cut
  3. degree — from a university
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. net — in sport
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. net — after costs
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. net — for catching
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. degree — an amount
  14. degree — temperature
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. mug — a face
  18. clip — a video
  19. clip — for paper
  20. saw — the tool
  21. mug — to rob
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. saw — the tool

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