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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: last · bore · stock · root · object · degree · season · wave

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. stock — shares
  3. root — the cause
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. bore — to drill
  6. object — to protest
  7. last — finally
  8. season — in sport
  9. root — of a plant
  10. degree — temperature
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. degree — an amount
  14. last — final
  15. season — of the year
  16. last — to go on
  17. degree — from a university
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. root — of a word
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. object — an aim
  22. bore — to tire
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. object — a thing

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