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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 · charge · branch · pitcher · key · wax · wind · pop

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. branch — a division
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. stock — goods
  6. key — for a lock
  7. wax — to grow
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. key — in music
  10. stock — shares
  11. key — the most important part
  12. pop — music
  13. charge — a price
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. wind — moving air
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. pop — soda
  21. charge — in control
  22. wind — moving air
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. charge — electricity

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