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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 116 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 · bore · stand · staff · last · stock · cell · tear

  1. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. stock — shares
  3. degree — temperature
  4. cell — in biology
  5. tear — from crying
  6. staff — employees
  7. degree — from a university
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. staff — employees
  10. stand — to bear
  11. last — to go on
  12. tear — from crying
  13. staff — a stick
  14. cell — a phone
  15. bore — to drill
  16. last — finally
  17. last — final
  18. bore — to tire
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. tear — to rip
  21. degree — an amount
  22. stock — goods
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. bore — gave birth

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