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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.

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 · capital · mine · spring · rash · degree · mouse · suit

  1. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. degree — an amount
  4. stock — shares
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. capital — a city
  7. rash — hasty
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. spring — a coil
  13. capital — money
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. degree — temperature
  16. suit — to fit
  17. rash — a series
  18. suit — in cards
  19. spring — the season
  20. stock — goods
  21. degree — from a university
  22. spring — of water
  23. mine — for digging
  24. mouse — the animal

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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