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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 · degree · deal · prune · pass · coach · mouse · object

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. object — to protest
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. degree — an amount
  6. object — an aim
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. degree — temperature
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. object — a thing
  11. pass — a permit
  12. prune — to trim
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. deal — to handle
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. degree — from a university
  23. prune — to trim
  24. prune — the fruit

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