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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: stock · stick · spell · toast · present · wind · perch · degree

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. perch — the fish
  3. degree — an amount
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. wind — moving air
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. spell — letters
  8. spell — a short time
  9. wind — moving air
  10. present — the time now
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. present — a gift
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. toast — bread
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. degree — temperature
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. present — there
  19. degree — from a university
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. spell — magic
  23. stock — goods
  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