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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 · spring · object · hand · stock · tear · cue · face

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. face — part of the head
  3. hand — help
  4. spring — of water
  5. object — a thing
  6. charge — electricity
  7. cue — a hint
  8. face — to point toward
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. face — to confront
  11. stock — goods
  12. object — to protest
  13. hand — in cards
  14. tear — to rip
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. spring — a coil
  17. object — an aim
  18. tear — from crying
  19. spring — the season
  20. cue — a signal
  21. charge — in control
  22. cue — for pool
  23. tear — from crying
  24. stock — shares

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