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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: prune · field · stand · squash · stock · degree · bass · cabinet

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. prune — to trim
  3. stock — shares
  4. stock — goods
  5. degree — from a university
  6. prune — to trim
  7. bass — low music
  8. field — farmland
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. field — for sport
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. squash — to crush
  14. degree — temperature
  15. stand — to bear
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. squash — the sport
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. field — a subject
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. degree — an amount
  24. bass — the fish

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