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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 120 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: face · current · degree · stock · rock · bank · kick · spell

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. degree — from a university
  3. spell — magic
  4. current — electric
  5. current — happening now
  6. bank — for money
  7. rock — a stone
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. spell — a short time
  10. degree — temperature
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. face — to confront
  13. degree — an amount
  14. rock — music
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. kick — in football
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. face — part of the head
  19. bank — for money
  20. current — of water
  21. bank — of a river
  22. stock — goods
  23. spell — letters
  24. face — to point toward

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