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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: scale · foot · stock · charge · fan · staff · tear · capital

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. capital — a city
  3. tear — from crying
  4. foot — a measure
  5. scale — size or range
  6. tear — from crying
  7. capital — money
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. stock — shares
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. staff — employees
  14. scale — in music
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. tear — to rip
  17. charge — a price
  18. charge — electricity
  19. staff — employees
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. charge — in control
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. staff — a stick

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