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

Word bank: charge · cell · bank · present · snap · stock

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. stock — shares
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. present — the time now
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. charge — a price
  7. charge — electricity
  8. cell — a phone
  9. cell — in biology
  10. snap — to click
  11. charge — in control
  12. present — there
  13. bank — for money
  14. bank — for money
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. present — a gift
  17. stock — goods
  18. bank — of a river

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