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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: mine · rest · last · degree · ruler · saw · lean · mark

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  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. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. mine — for digging
  3. degree — an amount
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. saw — the tool
  7. last — finally
  8. rest — what's left
  9. degree — temperature
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. mark — a trace
  12. rest — a break
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. lean — thin
  15. rest — what's left
  16. last — final
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. last — to go on
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. saw — the tool
  22. degree — from a university
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. lean — to bend

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