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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: leaves · bound · stock · swing · bass · degree · stand · pitcher

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. stand — to bear
  3. swing — music
  4. stock — shares
  5. bass — the fish
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. bound — tied together
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. bound — obliged
  12. degree — an amount
  13. degree — temperature
  14. bound — certain
  15. swing — to play on
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. stock — goods
  20. bass — low music
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. swing — in golf
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. pitcher — a jug

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