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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 116 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
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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: cap · stock · tear · wave · land · mine · club · dip

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. cap — a hat
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. club — for golf
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. tear — from crying
  9. club — a group
  10. club — for dancing
  11. dip — to sink
  12. stock — goods
  13. mine — for digging
  14. tear — from crying
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. cap — of ice
  18. land — ground
  19. stock — shares
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. tear — to rip
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. land — a country
  24. cap — a lid

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