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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: drill · bear · board · tube · degree · pitcher · ball · stock

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. tube — a container
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. bear — the animal
  6. tube — the underground
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. drill — the tool
  9. stock — shares
  10. stock — goods
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. drill — a practice
  13. board — to get on
  14. ball — a great time
  15. board — a committee
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. degree — an amount
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. degree — from a university
  20. ball — a dance
  21. drill — army training
  22. degree — temperature
  23. tube — in a tire
  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