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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: content · clip · ruler · prune · hide · degree · rash · bore

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. rash — a series
  4. content — the amount
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. degree — from a university
  7. clip — for paper
  8. rash — hasty
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. bore — to tire
  11. prune — to trim
  12. bore — to drill
  13. prune — to trim
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. degree — an amount
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. content — happy
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. clip — to cut
  21. degree — temperature
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. clip — a video

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