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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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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: ruler · branch · snap · press · bore · charge · wake · degree

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. bore — to drill
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. wake — a trail
  6. charge — a price
  7. degree — an amount
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. press — to push
  10. snap — to click
  11. branch — a division
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. degree — from a university
  15. charge — in control
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. degree — temperature
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. press — newspapers
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. press — a publisher
  23. charge — electricity
  24. ruler — for measuring

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