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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: cap · mouse · ruler · spell · wake · prune · degree · net

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  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. degree — an amount
  2. cap — of ice
  3. net — after costs
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. cap — a hat
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. degree — temperature
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. degree — from a university
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. net — in sport
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. prune — to trim
  15. spell — a short time
  16. prune — to trim
  17. wake — a trail
  18. spell — letters
  19. cap — a lid
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. net — for catching
  22. spell — magic
  23. mouse — the animal
  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