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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: degree · fan · cabinet · stick · shower · rush · stock · mouse

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. degree — an amount
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. shower — to wash
  10. stock — shares
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. rush — hurry
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. stock — goods
  16. degree — temperature
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. shower — rain

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