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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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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: track · pop · wound · band · stick · stock · bulb · cap

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. pop — to visit
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. pop — soda
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. stock — goods
  8. band — a music group
  9. stock — shares
  10. track — a song
  11. track — a path
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. band — a ring
  14. bulb — for light
  15. pop — music
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. cap — a hat
  18. cap — a lid
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. cap — of ice
  21. bulb — for light
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. wound — an injury
  24. track — to keep track

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