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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 120 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: band · cap · sharp · can · pop · field · stock · snap

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. field — farmland
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. band — a ring
  5. can — a tin
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. pop — soda
  8. pop — music
  9. cap — a hat
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. snap — to click
  12. can — a tin
  13. field — a subject
  14. band — a music group
  15. sharp — clever
  16. stock — goods
  17. cap — of ice
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. pop — to visit
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. cap — a lid
  22. can — to be able to
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. field — for sport

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