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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: stock · bear · can · scale · charge · capital

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. scale — in music
  4. charge — a price
  5. charge — electricity
  6. charge — in control
  7. can — a tin
  8. capital — a city
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. stock — goods
  12. can — a tin
  13. stock — shares
  14. capital — money
  15. bear — the animal
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. can — to be able to
  18. bear — the animal

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