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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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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: cell · pop · stock · cabinet · mark · leaves · hand · cap

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. stock — goods
  4. cap — of ice
  5. stock — shares
  6. pop — music
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. cell — in biology
  9. cap — a lid
  10. mark — a trace
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. hand — help
  13. pop — soda
  14. mark — a grade
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. pop — to visit
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. cell — a phone
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. hand — in cards
  23. cap — a hat
  24. leaves — to go away

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