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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 116 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: bass · stock · patient · vault · snap · rash · degree · object

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. vault — a safe
  3. snap — to click
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. bass — low music
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. rash — hasty
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. object — an aim
  12. degree — temperature
  13. object — to protest
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. stock — goods
  16. bass — the fish
  17. stock — shares
  18. degree — from a university
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. object — a thing
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. rash — a series

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