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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: mug · fall · stem · capital · mark · squash · stock · degree

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. stock — goods
  3. fall — to drop
  4. fall — to drop
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. stem — to come from
  7. degree — from a university
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. squash — the sport
  10. capital — a city
  11. mark — a trace
  12. mug — to rob
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. mug — a face
  15. stock — shares
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. fall — the season
  19. degree — temperature
  20. mark — a grade
  21. degree — an amount
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. mug — a cup
  24. capital — money

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