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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: stick · fine · ruler · branch · net · hand · degree · mug

  1. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. fine — all right
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. degree — an amount
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. net — after costs
  8. net — in sport
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. mug — to rob
  11. branch — a division
  12. degree — temperature
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. hand — in cards
  15. fine — high quality
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. hand — help
  18. net — for catching
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. mug — a face
  21. mug — a cup
  22. degree — from a university
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. hand — part of the body

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