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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 116 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: saw · squash · stock · degree · chair · band · stand · track

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. chair — a leader
  4. saw — the tool
  5. squash — to crush
  6. degree — temperature
  7. stock — shares
  8. degree — an amount
  9. band — a music group
  10. stand — to bear
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. stock — goods
  13. track — to keep track
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. squash — the sport
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. band — a ring
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. degree — from a university
  21. saw — the tool
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. track — a song
  24. squash — the vegetable

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