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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 · bound · fan · rush · wave · pound · stock · degree

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. stock — goods
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. pound — a weight
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. pitch — completely
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. degree — from a university
  15. stock — shares
  16. bound — certain
  17. degree — temperature
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. rush — hurry
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. degree — an amount
  22. bound — obliged
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. bound — tied together

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