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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: stock · capital · hand · jam · prune · mark · pop · ruler

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. pop — to visit
  4. capital — a city
  5. stock — shares
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. capital — money
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. prune — to trim
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. pop — music
  14. hand — in cards
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. hand — help
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. mark — a trace
  19. mark — a grade
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. pop — soda
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. prune — to trim
  24. prune — the fruit

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