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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: ground · degree · spell · bulb · nail · board · land · stock

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. stock — shares
  3. spell — a short time
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. stock — goods
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. degree — from a university
  9. board — a committee
  10. spell — letters
  11. degree — temperature
  12. spell — magic
  13. bulb — for light
  14. land — to come down
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. ground — crushed
  17. ground — a position
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. bulb — for light
  20. land — a country
  21. ground — the earth
  22. degree — an amount
  23. land — ground
  24. board — to get on

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