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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.

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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: pitcher · wound · nail · cap · stock · prune · bass · cabinet

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. bass — low music
  6. cap — a lid
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. stock — shares
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. prune — to trim
  13. wound — an injury
  14. cap — of ice
  15. stock — goods
  16. bass — the fish
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. prune — to trim
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. nail — for a hammer

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