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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 120 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: pitcher · tear · degree · squash · mug · calf · stock · bulb

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. mug — a face
  3. bulb — for light
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. stock — shares
  6. degree — from a university
  7. tear — from crying
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. degree — temperature
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. mug — a cup
  14. tear — to rip
  15. degree — an amount
  16. mug — to rob
  17. squash — the sport
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. stock — goods
  20. squash — to crush
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. tear — from crying
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. bulb — for light

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