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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 · wound · stock · mug · root · bound · hand · dip

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. hand — help
  4. degree — from a university
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. degree — an amount
  8. bound — obliged
  9. degree — temperature
  10. dip — to sink
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. mug — to rob
  13. hand — in cards
  14. mug — a face
  15. wound — an injury
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. bound — tied together
  18. bound — certain
  19. mug — a cup
  20. stock — shares
  21. wound — an injury
  22. root — the cause
  23. root — of a word
  24. root — of a plant

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