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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: squash · bank · stem · stock · hand · charge · lean · rock

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. stock — goods
  3. hand — help
  4. hand — in cards
  5. bank — of a river
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. rock — music
  8. charge — electricity
  9. squash — to crush
  10. charge — a price
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. stem — to come from
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. bank — for money
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. stock — shares
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. lean — thin
  20. squash — the sport
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. rock — a stone
  23. charge — in control
  24. bank — for money

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