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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: date · bulb · stick · stock · lash · temple · game · degree

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. date — the fruit
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. stock — shares
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. game — a match
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. degree — temperature
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. degree — an amount
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. bulb — for light
  20. game — wild animals
  21. degree — from a university
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. bulb — for light

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