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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: mark · bore · stock · mine · capital · pound · staff · calf

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. stock — goods
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. staff — employees
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. capital — a city
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. capital — money
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. mine — for digging
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. mark — a trace
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. staff — employees
  16. bore — to drill
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. stock — shares
  21. pound — a weight
  22. bore — to tire
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. staff — a stick

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