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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: stock · mark · nail · capital · roll · current · mine · prune

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. stock — shares
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. current — of water
  8. capital — money
  9. roll — a list
  10. current — happening now
  11. roll — a cake
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. mark — a trace
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. mark — a grade
  16. prune — to trim
  17. mine — for digging
  18. current — electric
  19. capital — a city
  20. stock — goods
  21. prune — to trim
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. nail — on a finger

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