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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 120 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: degree · cold · bank · craft · field · staff · coach · ruler

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. field — a subject
  5. degree — an amount
  6. cold — an illness
  7. bank — for money
  8. bank — of a river
  9. staff — employees
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. field — for sport
  14. degree — temperature
  15. staff — employees
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. craft — boats
  18. cold — not warm
  19. field — farmland
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. bank — for money
  23. degree — from a university
  24. staff — a stick

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