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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 · band · shower · wax · rash · charge · craft · stock

  1. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. band — a ring
  3. squash — the sport
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. shower — to wash
  6. craft — boats
  7. stock — shares
  8. craft — a skill
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. shower — rain
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. squash — to crush
  13. charge — electricity
  14. rash — a series
  15. band — a music group
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. wax — to grow
  22. charge — a price
  23. rash — hasty
  24. stock — goods

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