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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: nail · jam · last · dip · wound · cap · stock · pop

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. wound — an injury
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. last — to go on
  6. pop — soda
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. stock — goods
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. stock — shares
  14. cap — of ice
  15. last — final
  16. cap — a hat
  17. wound — an injury
  18. pop — to visit
  19. cap — a lid
  20. dip — to sink
  21. last — finally
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. dip — to dunk

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