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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: degree · squash · board · key · stock · wax · present · temple

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. stock — goods
  3. stock — shares
  4. key — the most important part
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. degree — temperature
  8. present — there
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. key — in music
  11. present — the time now
  12. board — a committee
  13. degree — an amount
  14. key — for a lock
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. squash — to crush
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. wax — to grow
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. board — to get on
  22. present — a gift
  23. squash — the sport
  24. wax — for sculpting

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