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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 · mate · wound · mine · ruler · stock · kick · branch

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. stock — shares
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. kick — in football
  6. mate — a partner
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. mate — a friend
  14. charge — electricity
  15. charge — a price
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. wound — an injury
  18. mine — for digging
  19. wound — an injury
  20. branch — a division
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. charge — in control
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. mate — to breed

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