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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: degree · cap · stock · perch · chip · wake · plane · rush

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. degree — temperature
  3. degree — from a university
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. cap — of ice
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. plane — a tool
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. cap — a hat
  13. rush — hurry
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. degree — an amount
  16. stock — shares
  17. chip — to eat
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. perch — the fish
  20. stock — goods
  21. cap — a lid
  22. chip — for betting
  23. wake — a trail
  24. plane — an aircraft

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