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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: staff · stock · degree · game · tube · file · hide · wound

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. degree — an amount
  3. file — a document
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. staff — a stick
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. game — a match
  8. staff — employees
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. degree — from a university
  11. tube — a container
  12. file — a tool
  13. degree — temperature
  14. file — a line of people
  15. tube — the underground
  16. staff — employees
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. stock — shares
  19. wound — an injury
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. wound — an injury
  22. game — wild animals
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. stock — goods

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