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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: safe · wound · racket · stock · lean · pitcher · degree · date

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. stock — goods
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. date — the fruit
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. lean — to bend
  8. degree — an amount
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. degree — from a university
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. lean — thin
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. stock — shares
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. wound — an injury
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. degree — temperature
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. wound — an injury
  24. pitcher — a jug

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