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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: degree · stock · nail · firm · patient · bark · root · wave

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. degree — an amount
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. degree — temperature
  5. root — of a word
  6. firm — decided
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. stock — shares
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. root — the cause
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. bark — to shout
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. stock — goods
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. degree — from a university
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. root — of a plant
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. firm — a company

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