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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: racket · kick · clip · tube · ruler · stock · degree · prune

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. degree — from a university
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. degree — an amount
  5. clip — to cut
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. stock — goods
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. prune — to trim
  10. clip — for paper
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. tube — the underground
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. clip — a video
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. degree — temperature
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. prune — to trim
  20. kick — in football
  21. tube — a container
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. racket — a loud noise

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