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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 120 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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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: wound · cap · band · can · stock · bore · court · pound

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. court — of law
  3. bore — to drill
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. band — a music group
  6. wound — an injury
  7. band — a ring
  8. stock — goods
  9. bore — to tire
  10. can — a tin
  11. pound — a weight
  12. cap — of ice
  13. court — for sport
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. stock — shares
  17. can — to be able to
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. court — of a king
  20. cap — a hat
  21. can — a tin
  22. cap — a lid
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. wound — an injury

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