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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: degree · craft · track · pass · stem · net · mark · stock

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. degree — an amount
  3. stem — to come from
  4. stock — shares
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. net — in sport
  8. net — after costs
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. degree — temperature
  11. pass — a permit
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. mark — a trace
  14. degree — from a university
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. track — a path
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. track — a song
  20. craft — a skill
  21. track — to keep track
  22. stock — goods
  23. craft — boats
  24. net — for catching

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