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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: tube · roll · stock · stem · wax · net · march · charge

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. stem — to come from
  3. stock — shares
  4. roll — a list
  5. charge — in control
  6. tube — the underground
  7. march — the month
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. charge — a price
  10. wax — to grow
  11. charge — electricity
  12. net — in sport
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. roll — a cake
  18. march — the month
  19. tube — a container
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. net — for catching
  22. march — music
  23. net — after costs
  24. stock — goods

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