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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: degree · band · stock · rash · snap · mark · bay · patient

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. rash — hasty
  4. degree — temperature
  5. rash — a series
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. stock — shares
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. band — a ring
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. degree — an amount
  17. stock — goods
  18. degree — from a university
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. mark — a trace
  21. band — a music group
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. mark — a grade

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