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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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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: ball · wind · ruler · wound · arm · bear · degree · club

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. wound — an injury
  3. degree — temperature
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. bear — the animal
  7. degree — an amount
  8. ball — a dance
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. club — a group
  12. wind — moving air
  13. wind — moving air
  14. club — for golf
  15. club — for dancing
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. ball — a great time
  19. degree — from a university
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. wound — an injury
  23. bear — the animal
  24. bear — to put up with

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