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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 116 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: nail · staff · lash · degree · stock · rock · net · mouse

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. staff — employees
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. net — for catching
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. stock — goods
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. rock — music
  13. degree — temperature
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. stock — shares
  17. staff — employees
  18. degree — from a university
  19. staff — a stick
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. rock — a stone
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. net — in sport
  24. net — after costs

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