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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: rock · mate · ruler · stock · degree · branch · row · rush

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. degree — from a university
  3. row — a line
  4. branch — a division
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. row — to paddle
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. mate — a friend
  11. degree — temperature
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. rock — music
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. stock — goods
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. mate — to breed
  20. mate — a partner
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. degree — an amount
  23. stock — shares
  24. rock — a stone

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