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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 116 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 · sharp · straw · charge · bay · content · wound · tear

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. tear — from crying
  3. stock — goods
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. content — the amount
  8. charge — in control
  9. wound — an injury
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. tear — from crying
  13. wound — an injury
  14. sharp — clever
  15. content — happy
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. charge — a price
  22. tear — to rip
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. stock — shares

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