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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: cap · deal · hand · stock · tube · degree · bore · straw

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. stock — goods
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. deal — to handle
  7. degree — an amount
  8. degree — temperature
  9. cap — a hat
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. bore — to drill
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. degree — from a university
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. cap — a lid
  16. cap — of ice
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. bore — to tire
  19. stock — shares
  20. tube — the underground
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. hand — help
  23. tube — a container
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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