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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: wake · degree · ball · dip · lean · face · kick · stock

  1. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. face — to confront
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. stock — shares
  8. face — to point toward
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. ball — a great time
  11. wake — a trail
  12. ball — a dance
  13. kick — in football
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. degree — an amount
  17. face — part of the head
  18. lean — to bend
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. degree — temperature
  21. degree — from a university
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. stock — goods
  24. lean — thin

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