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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 · firm · stock · last · mug · lean · trunk · bear

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. stock — goods
  3. firm — decided
  4. degree — temperature
  5. mug — a face
  6. firm — a company
  7. mug — to rob
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. lean — thin
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. bear — the animal
  12. firm — steady
  13. last — finally
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. bear — the animal
  16. stock — shares
  17. degree — from a university
  18. last — to go on
  19. lean — to bend
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. degree — an amount
  22. mug — a cup
  23. last — final
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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