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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 116 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: face · race · wound · stock · degree · bear · ball · pound

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. face — part of the head
  3. stock — shares
  4. race — the arms race
  5. wound — an injury
  6. degree — temperature
  7. bear — the animal
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. stock — goods
  10. ball — a great time
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. degree — an amount
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. race — humankind
  16. ball — a dance
  17. pound — a weight
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. race — a contest
  20. face — to confront
  21. face — to point toward
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. degree — from a university
  24. wound — an injury

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