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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: mouse · hand · degree · swing · current · stock · game · stem

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. game — a match
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. degree — from a university
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. current — electric
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. swing — to play on
  12. stem — to come from
  13. game — wild animals
  14. stock — shares
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. degree — an amount
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. degree — temperature
  19. current — of water
  20. swing — in golf
  21. hand — help
  22. current — happening now
  23. stock — goods
  24. hand — in cards

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