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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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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: pound · wound · bear · stock · pop · ground · cabinet · band

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. pop — soda
  4. ground — a position
  5. pop — music
  6. ground — the earth
  7. bear — the animal
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. band — a ring
  10. wound — an injury
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. bear — the animal
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. wound — an injury
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. pound — a weight
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. ground — crushed
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. band — a music group
  23. pop — to visit
  24. stock — shares

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