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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: cue · degree · foot · bass · tube · racket · branch · stock

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. cue — a signal
  3. stock — goods
  4. degree — an amount
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. tube — a container
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. degree — from a university
  14. bass — the fish
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. degree — temperature
  17. stock — shares
  18. foot — a measure
  19. cue — a hint
  20. tube — the underground
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. branch — a division
  24. cue — for pool

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