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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: staff · charge · stock · wound · land · root · mine · ball

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. land — ground
  3. wound — an injury
  4. staff — employees
  5. staff — a stick
  6. mine — for digging
  7. stock — shares
  8. ball — a great time
  9. wound — an injury
  10. root — of a plant
  11. ball — a dance
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. land — to come down
  14. land — a country
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. root — the cause
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. staff — employees
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. charge — in control
  22. charge — electricity
  23. root — of a word
  24. stock — goods

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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