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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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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: foot · cell · degree · pound · mark · wave · stock · lean

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. degree — from a university
  4. stock — goods
  5. cell — in biology
  6. foot — a measure
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. degree — an amount
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. mark — a trace
  12. cell — a phone
  13. lean — thin
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. degree — temperature
  16. mark — a grade
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. lean — to bend
  20. stock — shares
  21. pound — a weight
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. cell — in a prison

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