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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: bear · wake · bulb · dip · file · content · degree · stock

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. degree — an amount
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. file — a document
  6. stock — shares
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. content — the amount
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. stock — goods
  11. bulb — for light
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. bulb — for light
  14. content — happy
  15. bear — the animal
  16. file — a tool
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. degree — from a university
  20. file — a line of people
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. dip — to sink
  23. bear — the animal
  24. degree — temperature

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