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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: ruler · lash · row · face · fork · bound · degree · bore

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. fork — in a road
  4. face — part of the head
  5. bound — tied together
  6. bound — certain
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. bound — obliged
  10. row — to paddle
  11. degree — from a university
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. row — a line
  16. bore — to drill
  17. face — to confront
  18. degree — an amount
  19. face — to point toward
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. degree — temperature
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. bore — gave birth

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