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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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468
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 · stock · fan · can · craft · stick · march · rush

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. march — the month
  3. craft — a skill
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. march — music
  7. stock — goods
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. can — to be able to
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. march — the month
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. craft — boats
  17. degree — from a university
  18. degree — temperature
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. degree — an amount
  21. can — a tin
  22. rush — hurry
  23. stock — shares
  24. can — a tin

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