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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.

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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: saw · squash · temple · degree · bound · firm · rush · stock

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. degree — from a university
  5. saw — the tool
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. rush — hurry
  8. firm — a company
  9. squash — to crush
  10. bound — tied together
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. bound — certain
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. stock — shares
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. stock — goods
  18. squash — the sport
  19. bound — obliged
  20. saw — the tool
  21. degree — temperature
  22. firm — decided
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. degree — an amount

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