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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 116 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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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: drill · charge · fall · band · bear · stock · rule · ball

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. fall — to drop
  3. ball — a great time
  4. bear — the animal
  5. band — a ring
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. charge — electricity
  9. drill — army training
  10. drill — a practice
  11. charge — in control
  12. bear — the animal
  13. rule — a law
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. rule — government
  16. fall — to drop
  17. stock — shares
  18. drill — the tool
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. fall — the season
  21. stock — goods
  22. charge — a price
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. band — a music group

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