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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: capital · bay · pass · prune · cabinet · march · stock · mine

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. stock — goods
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. march — music
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. mine — for digging
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. pass — a permit
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. march — the month
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. capital — money
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. prune — to trim
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. march — the month
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. capital — a city
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. stock — shares
  24. mine — belonging to me

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