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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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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: stick · bulb · present · mark · fall · stock · degree · date

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. date — the fruit
  3. bulb — for light
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. degree — temperature
  6. stock — shares
  7. mark — a grade
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. fall — the season
  12. present — a gift
  13. bulb — for light
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. present — there
  17. fall — to drop
  18. present — the time now
  19. fall — to drop
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. stock — goods
  23. mark — a trace
  24. degree — from a university

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