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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: stock · date · bay · roll · degree · current · wake · jam

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. wake — a trail
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. degree — temperature
  6. degree — from a university
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. stock — shares
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. current — happening now
  13. roll — a cake
  14. degree — an amount
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. current — of water
  17. roll — a list
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. current — electric
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. date — the fruit
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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