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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 112 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: pop · stock · degree · rest · straw · bear · rush · hand

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. hand — help
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. hand — in cards
  5. pop — to visit
  6. rest — what's left
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. bear — the animal
  10. bear — the animal
  11. stock — goods
  12. rest — what's left
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. rest — a break
  15. pop — music
  16. degree — an amount
  17. degree — temperature
  18. pop — soda
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. rush — hurry
  21. degree — from a university
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. bear — to put up with

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