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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 120 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: chip · stock · straw · rest · vault · bass · degree · stem

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. chip — to eat
  3. vault — a safe
  4. stock — goods
  5. rest — a break
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. degree — from a university
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. rest — what's left
  13. stem — to come from
  14. bass — low music
  15. chip — for betting
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. degree — an amount
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. stock — shares
  23. degree — temperature
  24. rest — what's left

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