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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: stock · capital · charge · rash · chip · date · tear · trunk

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. rash — hasty
  4. charge — electricity
  5. tear — to rip
  6. tear — from crying
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. capital — a city
  9. stock — goods
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. tear — from crying
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. charge — in control
  14. rash — a series
  15. charge — a price
  16. stock — shares
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. chip — for betting
  20. date — the fruit
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. chip — to eat
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. capital — money

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