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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: degree · present · ruler · pass · hide · trunk · row · bark

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. degree — temperature
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. bark — to shout
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. row — a line
  13. pass — a permit
  14. present — there
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. degree — an amount
  19. present — a gift
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. present — the time now
  22. degree — from a university
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. row — to paddle

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