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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: stock · wound · charge · bat · fan · rash · vault · tube

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. tube — a container
  3. charge — in control
  4. wound — an injury
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. stock — shares
  9. vault — a safe
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. stock — goods
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. rash — a series
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. wound — an injury
  18. bat — the animal
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. tube — the underground
  21. charge — a price
  22. rash — hasty
  23. charge — electricity
  24. fan — to cool the air

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