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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · degree · mine · stand · lash · last · row · bowl

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. degree — an amount
  3. last — to go on
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. row — to paddle
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. last — finally
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. degree — temperature
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. mine — for digging
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. last — final
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. stand — to bear
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. degree — from a university
  22. stock — goods
  23. stock — shares
  24. row — a line

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