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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: capital · stock · bass · trunk · sharp · wave · charge · deal

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. stock — shares
  4. charge — electricity
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. bass — low music
  9. charge — in control
  10. deal — to handle
  11. sharp — clever
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. bass — the fish
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. capital — money
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. charge — a price
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. capital — a city
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. stock — goods
  24. wave — of the sea

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