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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: perch · stock · jam · degree · vault · season · wake · dip

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. season — in sport
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. vault — a safe
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. degree — an amount
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. degree — temperature
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. dip — to sink
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. stock — shares
  20. wake — a trail
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. season — of the year
  23. degree — from a university
  24. perch — the fish

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