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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.

Words on the sheet
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: spring · stock · object · bat · straw · fall · degree · ruler

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  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. straw — a straw man
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. object — an aim
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. spring — a coil
  6. spring — of water
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. fall — to drop
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. stock — goods
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. object — a thing
  15. fall — to drop
  16. spring — the season
  17. stock — shares
  18. fall — the season
  19. degree — an amount
  20. degree — temperature
  21. object — to protest
  22. bat — the animal
  23. degree — from a university
  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