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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: stock · dip · band · degree · row · arm · squash · face

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. row — to paddle
  3. face — to confront
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. squash — to crush
  6. degree — temperature
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. band — a music group
  9. stock — shares
  10. degree — an amount
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. row — a line
  13. stock — goods
  14. band — a ring
  15. squash — the sport
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. face — to point toward
  18. dip — to sink
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. degree — from a university
  24. face — part of the head

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