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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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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: cabinet · hand · charge · ground · tube · degree · perch · ruler

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. charge — electricity
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. ground — crushed
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. degree — temperature
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. perch — the fish
  9. hand — help
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. tube — a container
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. degree — from a university
  14. ground — the earth
  15. degree — an amount
  16. tube — the underground
  17. hand — in cards
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. charge — in control
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. ground — a position
  22. charge — a price
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. ruler — for measuring

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