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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 116 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: wind · rule · row · degree · plane · ruler · firm · wound

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  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. firm — a company
  2. wound — an injury
  3. wind — moving air
  4. row — a line
  5. firm — steady
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. wound — an injury
  10. firm — decided
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. wind — moving air
  16. plane — a tool
  17. degree — temperature
  18. rule — a law
  19. degree — an amount
  20. rule — government
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. degree — from a university
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  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