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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: key · wake · degree · bear · scale · stock · nail · field

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. degree — an amount
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. key — in music
  6. degree — from a university
  7. key — the most important part
  8. stock — goods
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. bear — the animal
  12. field — for sport
  13. key — for a lock
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. degree — temperature
  16. scale — size or range
  17. field — a subject
  18. scale — in music
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. bear — the animal
  21. wake — a trail
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. field — farmland
  24. stock — shares

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