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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: saw · march · ruler · net · wind · board · degree · craft

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. wind — moving air
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. net — in sport
  5. march — the month
  6. board — to get on
  7. saw — the tool
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. board — a committee
  10. march — music
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. degree — from a university
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. net — for catching
  15. march — the month
  16. craft — boats
  17. degree — temperature
  18. saw — the tool
  19. degree — an amount
  20. craft — a skill
  21. net — after costs
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. wind — moving air

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