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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 120 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: march · ruler · mug · ground · deal · degree · prune · stem

  1. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. mug — a face
  3. mug — to rob
  4. prune — to trim
  5. deal — to handle
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. degree — from a university
  8. prune — to trim
  9. march — the month
  10. ground — the earth
  11. march — music
  12. ground — a position
  13. ground — crushed
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. degree — temperature
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. mug — a cup
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. degree — an amount
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. stem — to come from
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. march — the month
  24. prune — the fruit

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