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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: object · fall · degree · ruler · tube · cell · coach · shower

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. degree — temperature
  6. tube — a container
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. fall — to drop
  9. degree — an amount
  10. cell — in biology
  11. object — to protest
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. shower — to wash
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. object — an aim
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. fall — to drop
  18. shower — rain
  19. fall — the season
  20. degree — from a university
  21. tube — the underground
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. object — a thing
  24. ruler — a monarch

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