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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: degree · band · stock · rash · snap · mark

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. rash — hasty
  5. band — a music group
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. stock — goods
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. mark — a grade
  10. degree — an amount
  11. band — a ring
  12. degree — from a university
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. degree — temperature
  16. mark — a trace
  17. snap — to click
  18. rash — a series

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