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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: stock · land · foot · key · plane · object · wave · degree

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. stock — shares
  3. foot — a measure
  4. key — for a lock
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. degree — temperature
  8. land — a country
  9. land — to come down
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. key — the most important part
  12. object — a thing
  13. degree — an amount
  14. object — an aim
  15. key — in music
  16. plane — a tool
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. object — to protest
  19. stock — goods
  20. degree — from a university
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. land — ground

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