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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: object · degree · bark · row · ruler · saw · cabinet · march

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. row — a line
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. bark — to shout
  6. degree — from a university
  7. saw — the tool
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. march — music
  10. degree — temperature
  11. saw — the tool
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. object — to protest
  15. object — an aim
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. row — to paddle
  19. march — the month
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. degree — an amount
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. object — a thing
  24. march — the month

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