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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: cap · rest · stock · degree · firm · safe · branch · object

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. rest — what's left
  3. object — a thing
  4. rest — what's left
  5. degree — temperature
  6. stock — goods
  7. firm — a company
  8. cap — a lid
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. cap — a hat
  11. object — to protest
  12. cap — of ice
  13. degree — an amount
  14. object — an aim
  15. branch — a division
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. stock — shares
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. rest — a break
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. degree — from a university
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. firm — decided
  24. safe — a strongbox

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