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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 · swing · wind · charge · season · racket · row · wax

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. wax — to grow
  3. stock — shares
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. wind — moving air
  6. row — a line
  7. charge — a price
  8. charge — in control
  9. row — to paddle
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. swing — music
  12. season — in sport
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. swing — in golf
  15. swing — to play on
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. season — of the year
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. charge — electricity
  21. stock — goods
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. wind — moving air

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