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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 · saw · temple · stock · pitcher · scale · tube · degree

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. degree — from a university
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. scale — size or range
  5. degree — temperature
  6. stock — shares
  7. wake — a trail
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. tube — the underground
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. stock — goods
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. saw — the tool
  15. degree — an amount
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. tube — a container
  19. scale — in music
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. saw — the tool

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