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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: charge · rash · file · land · firm · stem · wax · stock

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. stem — to come from
  3. rash — hasty
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. stock — shares
  6. file — a tool
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. firm — decided
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. charge — in control
  11. firm — steady
  12. stock — goods
  13. file — a document
  14. land — ground
  15. land — to come down
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. charge — a price
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. wax — to grow
  20. rash — a series
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. land — a country
  23. firm — a company
  24. charge — electricity

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