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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.

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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: cue · band · stock · ground · leaves · wound · charge · rush

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. wound — an injury
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. cue — a signal
  5. cue — a hint
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. stock — goods
  8. stock — shares
  9. wound — an injury
  10. charge — electricity
  11. ground — crushed
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. band — a ring
  14. cue — for pool
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. ground — the earth
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. rush — hurry
  20. charge — in control
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. charge — a price
  23. band — a music group
  24. leaves — to go away

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