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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: pitch · fork · stock · degree · kid · wax · can · wake

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. fork — in a road
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. can — a tin
  7. can — to be able to
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. kid — to tease
  10. pitch — completely
  11. stock — goods
  12. wax — to grow
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. degree — from a university
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. kid — child
  19. wake — a trail
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. can — a tin
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. stock — shares
  24. degree — temperature

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