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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: bowl · charge · current · file · tear · stock · wax · cabinet

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. current — of water
  4. wax — to grow
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. charge — electricity
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. tear — from crying
  9. file — a line of people
  10. file — a document
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. file — a tool
  13. current — electric
  14. charge — a price
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. current — happening now
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. charge — in control
  20. stock — shares
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. stock — goods
  24. tear — from crying

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