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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: degree · stock · toast · clip · patient · plane · prune · pass

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. prune — to trim
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. clip — to cut
  9. toast — bread
  10. pass — a permit
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. degree — from a university
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. clip — a video
  15. degree — an amount
  16. plane — a tool
  17. clip — for paper
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. degree — temperature
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. prune — to trim
  22. stock — shares
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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