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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: object · calf · stock · prune · pass · degree · shower · race

  1. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. shower — rain
  3. object — to protest
  4. degree — from a university
  5. degree — an amount
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. shower — to wash
  8. stock — goods
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. object — an aim
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. stock — shares
  15. object — a thing
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. race — humankind
  18. prune — to trim
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. prune — to trim
  22. race — a contest
  23. degree — temperature
  24. race — the arms race

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