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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.

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: temple · bore · degree · shower · march · scale · field · ruler

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. march — the month
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. shower — rain
  5. degree — an amount
  6. degree — from a university
  7. shower — to wash
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. scale — in music
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. field — for sport
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. field — a subject
  14. bore — to tire
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. degree — temperature
  17. field — farmland
  18. bore — to drill
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. scale — size or range
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. march — music

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