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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. stock — shares
  5. rush — hurry
  6. last — to go on
  7. bulb — for light
  8. stock — goods
  9. charge — a price
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. charge — in control
  13. bulb — for light
  14. stem — to come from
  15. chest — of your body
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. mine — for digging
  18. chest — a box
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. last — finally
  21. chest — of your body
  22. last — final
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. stem — a stem cell

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