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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: stock · pop · swing · cold · rush · charge · branch · object

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. cold — not warm
  4. charge — in control
  5. charge — electricity
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. pop — music
  9. branch — a division
  10. pop — to visit
  11. stock — goods
  12. object — a thing
  13. swing — in golf
  14. swing — music
  15. pop — soda
  16. stock — shares
  17. cold — an illness
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. swing — to play on
  20. rush — hurry
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. object — an aim
  24. object — to protest

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