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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 · rush · charge · shower · trunk · root · object · capital

  1. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. rush — hurry
  3. object — to protest
  4. root — of a plant
  5. charge — a price
  6. stock — shares
  7. object — a thing
  8. object — an aim
  9. capital — a city
  10. stock — goods
  11. capital — money
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. shower — rain
  16. root — the cause
  17. root — of a word
  18. shower — to wash
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. charge — electricity
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. stock — a soup base

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