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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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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: ruler · wake · sharp · charge · branch · fall · stock · stem

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. charge — electricity
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. fall — the season
  8. stock — goods
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. stem — to come from
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. charge — in control
  14. fall — to drop
  15. branch — a division
  16. sharp — clever
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. stock — shares
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. fall — to drop
  24. charge — a price

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