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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
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: wave · prune · present · last · mouse · degree · stock · drill

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. degree — from a university
  3. last — to go on
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. present — the time now
  6. drill — the tool
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. drill — a practice
  9. last — final
  10. stock — goods
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. present — there
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. last — finally
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. stock — shares
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. degree — temperature
  21. prune — to trim
  22. prune — to trim
  23. drill — army training
  24. present — a gift

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