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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: band · cap · degree · stock · leaves · drill · kick · ball

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. band — a ring
  4. cap — a lid
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. cap — a hat
  9. degree — temperature
  10. degree — an amount
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. drill — the tool
  13. ball — a dance
  14. band — a music group
  15. degree — from a university
  16. kick — in football
  17. stock — shares
  18. drill — army training
  19. drill — a practice
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. ball — a great time
  23. cap — of ice
  24. leaves — lets stay

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