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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: fall · degree · stem · content · spell · saw · rash · stock

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. degree — from a university
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. content — the amount
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. fall — to drop
  7. degree — temperature
  8. stem — to come from
  9. fall — the season
  10. stock — goods
  11. content — happy
  12. spell — letters
  13. spell — a short time
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. saw — the tool
  18. rash — hasty
  19. rash — a series
  20. degree — an amount
  21. spell — magic
  22. fall — to drop
  23. stock — shares
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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