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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 120 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: bear · cabinet · racket · stick · stock · object · squash · degree

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. object — to protest
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. bear — the animal
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. degree — an amount
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. object — a thing
  10. bear — the animal
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. object — an aim
  14. stock — goods
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. degree — temperature
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. squash — to crush
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. degree — from a university
  24. squash — the sport

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