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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: mark · bulb · degree · cabinet · stock · pass · field · pitcher

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. degree — an amount
  6. field — farmland
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. pass — a permit
  11. stock — goods
  12. field — a subject
  13. bulb — for light
  14. mark — a grade
  15. mark — a trace
  16. degree — from a university
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. field — for sport
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. stock — shares
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. bulb — for light
  23. degree — temperature
  24. pass — to succeed

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