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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: bowl · suit · charge · bear · cold · wound · tube · stock

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. suit — to fit
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. cold — an illness
  6. charge — in control
  7. bear — the animal
  8. stock — shares
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. suit — clothes
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. suit — in cards
  13. cold — not warm
  14. bear — the animal
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. charge — a price
  19. charge — electricity
  20. tube — a container
  21. stock — goods
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wound — an injury

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