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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: bowl · stand · prune · bound · scale · plane · degree · stock

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. prune — to trim
  3. degree — temperature
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. prune — to trim
  6. scale — size or range
  7. bound — obliged
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. scale — in music
  12. degree — from a university
  13. bound — certain
  14. stock — goods
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. bound — tied together
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. stand — to bear
  23. plane — a tool
  24. degree — an amount

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