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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: wax · suit · capital · stock · file · staff · charge · kid

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. suit — to fit
  3. file — a line of people
  4. capital — money
  5. staff — employees
  6. file — a document
  7. stock — goods
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. suit — clothes
  10. charge — in control
  11. file — a tool
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. capital — a city
  14. charge — electricity
  15. wax — to grow
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. charge — a price
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. stock — shares
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. kid — child
  22. kid — to tease
  23. suit — in cards
  24. staff — employees

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