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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: net · plane · bass · wound · charge · stick · stock · date

  1. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. stock — goods
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. wound — an injury
  6. net — after costs
  7. charge — electricity
  8. net — for catching
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. bass — low music
  13. charge — a price
  14. stock — shares
  15. net — in sport
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. date — the fruit
  21. plane — a tool
  22. bass — the fish
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. date — on the calendar

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