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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: charge · cue · wake · stock · field · jam · coach · bore

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. stock — shares
  4. wake — a trail
  5. charge — a price
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. charge — in control
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. field — a subject
  10. cue — a hint
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. bore — to drill
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. field — farmland
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. cue — for pool
  19. stock — goods
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. bore — to tire
  22. field — for sport
  23. charge — electricity
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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