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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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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 · hand · hide · mark · leaves · game · bank · degree

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. hand — in cards
  3. hand — help
  4. stock — goods
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. bank — for money
  11. stock — shares
  12. mark — a grade
  13. game — wild animals
  14. degree — from a university
  15. bank — for money
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. degree — an amount
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. mark — a trace
  22. game — a match
  23. bank — of a river
  24. degree — temperature

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