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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: wind · mine · charge · bass · bound · stock · wax · racket

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. wind — moving air
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. mine — for digging
  5. stock — shares
  6. bound — obliged
  7. wind — moving air
  8. bound — certain
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. stock — goods
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. charge — in control
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. bass — the fish
  17. bound — tied together
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. charge — electricity
  20. bass — low music
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. wax — to grow
  24. charge — a price

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