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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: content · mate · trunk · snap · present · stock · rock · degree

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. mate — a partner
  3. snap — to click
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. degree — an amount
  6. rock — a stone
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. degree — from a university
  9. stock — shares
  10. mate — to breed
  11. present — there
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. stock — goods
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. present — the time now
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. degree — temperature
  19. content — the amount
  20. present — a gift
  21. mate — a friend
  22. content — happy
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. rock — music

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