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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: degree · wake · lean · hand · race · wave · stock · mouse

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. degree — an amount
  3. degree — temperature
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. stock — goods
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. degree — from a university
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. race — a contest
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. stock — shares
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. hand — in cards
  15. hand — help
  16. lean — to bend
  17. lean — thin
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. race — humankind
  21. wake — a trail
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. stock — a soup base

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