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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: temple · rock · content · mark · bowl · prune · capital · stock

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. stock — goods
  3. rock — a stone
  4. mark — a trace
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. prune — to trim
  7. prune — to trim
  8. capital — money
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. stock — shares
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. content — happy
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. capital — a city
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. content — the amount
  23. mark — a grade
  24. content — videos and posts

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