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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: rash · spell · stock · stem · rock · pop · degree · present

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  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. rock — music
  2. rash — a series
  3. spell — letters
  4. present — the time now
  5. rash — hasty
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. spell — a short time
  8. pop — to visit
  9. degree — temperature
  10. pop — music
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. stock — shares
  13. present — a gift
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. spell — magic
  16. pop — soda
  17. stem — to come from
  18. stock — goods
  19. rock — a stone
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. degree — an amount
  23. present — there
  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