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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: rash · mouse · degree · stock · prune · spell · pitcher · dip

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. prune — to trim
  6. rash — hasty
  7. prune — to trim
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. dip — to sink
  11. degree — from a university
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. stock — goods
  14. degree — an amount
  15. stock — shares
  16. degree — temperature
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. spell — letters
  21. spell — magic
  22. rash — a series
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. spell — a short time

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