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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 · pop · last · wake · degree · ruler · stock · can

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. wake — a trail
  3. stock — goods
  4. last — finally
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. pop — to visit
  10. last — final
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. pop — music
  13. degree — temperature
  14. rash — hasty
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. can — to be able to
  18. rash — a series
  19. can — a tin
  20. degree — from a university
  21. pop — soda
  22. can — a tin
  23. last — to go on
  24. stock — shares

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