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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: prune · ruler · nail · degree · rash · chip · swing · trunk

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. rash — hasty
  3. chip — to eat
  4. rash — a series
  5. chip — for betting
  6. degree — an amount
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. prune — to trim
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. degree — from a university
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. degree — temperature
  17. prune — to trim
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. swing — in golf
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. swing — music
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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