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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · can · hide · capital · patient · prune · stock · degree

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. stock — shares
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. prune — to trim
  5. stock — goods
  6. degree — an amount
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. degree — temperature
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. can — a tin
  11. can — a tin
  12. prune — to trim
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. band — a music group
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. band — a ring
  20. capital — a city
  21. degree — from a university
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. can — to be able to
  24. capital — money

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