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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 · bore · degree · last · wake · racket · bulb · rock

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. degree — from a university
  5. last — finally
  6. wake — a trail
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. last — final
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. bulb — for light
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. rock — a stone
  14. last — to go on
  15. stock — goods
  16. degree — an amount
  17. stock — shares
  18. bore — to tire
  19. bore — to drill
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. degree — temperature
  23. rock — music
  24. bulb — for light

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