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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · racket · stock · clip · stem · dip · field · toast

  1. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. clip — to cut
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. degree — an amount
  6. toast — bread
  7. field — for sport
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. stock — goods
  11. clip — a video
  12. stem — to come from
  13. field — farmland
  14. field — a subject
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. degree — from a university
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. clip — for paper
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. stock — shares
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. degree — temperature

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