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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: prune · degree · ruler · net · wound · root · can · tear

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. prune — to trim
  5. root — of a word
  6. net — in sport
  7. degree — from a university
  8. tear — to rip
  9. degree — temperature
  10. net — for catching
  11. wound — an injury
  12. tear — from crying
  13. wound — an injury
  14. net — after costs
  15. can — a tin
  16. can — a tin
  17. root — of a plant
  18. tear — from crying
  19. degree — an amount
  20. prune — to trim
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. can — to be able to
  24. root — the cause

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