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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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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: content · stock · spring · charge · racket · wax · suit · kid

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. wax — to grow
  3. suit — in cards
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. spring — a coil
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. stock — goods
  8. kid — to tease
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. spring — of water
  11. kid — child
  12. content — the amount
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. suit — clothes
  15. spring — the season
  16. stock — shares
  17. charge — electricity
  18. content — happy
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. charge — in control
  21. charge — a price
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. suit — to fit

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