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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 · clip · wax · pass · pit · degree · object · bound

  1. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. object — an aim
  3. wax — to grow
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. bound — certain
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. stock — shares
  8. degree — an amount
  9. object — to protest
  10. stock — goods
  11. object — a thing
  12. degree — temperature
  13. clip — for paper
  14. pit — a hole
  15. bound — tied together
  16. degree — from a university
  17. pass — a permit
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. bound — obliged
  22. clip — a video
  23. clip — to cut
  24. stock — a soup base

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