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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: deal · dip · degree · hide · saw · spring · board · stock

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. degree — temperature
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. degree — an amount
  7. board — a committee
  8. spring — the season
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. spring — a coil
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. stock — shares
  15. spring — of water
  16. stock — goods
  17. saw — the tool
  18. degree — from a university
  19. board — to get on
  20. dip — to sink
  21. saw — the tool
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. deal — to handle

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