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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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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: toast · spring · stock · rule · degree · wind · dip · lie

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. stock — goods
  3. dip — to sink
  4. wind — moving air
  5. rule — a law
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. degree — temperature
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. spring — a coil
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. rule — government
  14. spring — the season
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. toast — bread
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. stock — shares
  19. lie — to recline
  20. degree — an amount
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. spring — of water
  23. degree — from a university
  24. wind — moving air

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