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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 116 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 · stock · bank · pitcher · kid · face · hand · pound

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. stock — goods
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. charge — in control
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. pound — a weight
  9. bank — of a river
  10. charge — a price
  11. kid — child
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. stock — shares
  14. bank — for money
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. face — to point toward
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. face — part of the head
  19. face — to confront
  20. hand — help
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. charge — electricity
  23. bank — for money
  24. hand — in cards

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