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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. charge — electricity
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. charge — in control
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. stock — goods
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. face — part of the head
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. shower — to wash
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. stock — shares
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. face — to confront
  20. shower — rain
  21. branch — a division
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. face — to point toward
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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