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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: straw · net · bark · spring · band · mouse · degree · ruler

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. bark — to shout
  3. band — a ring
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. spring — of water
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. degree — an amount
  9. spring — the season
  10. degree — temperature
  11. degree — from a university
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. band — a music group
  15. net — for catching
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. spring — a coil
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. net — in sport

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