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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: stock · net · scale · fall · charge · staff · shower · saw

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. net — after costs
  4. stock — shares
  5. fall — to drop
  6. staff — a stick
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. charge — electricity
  9. charge — in control
  10. charge — a price
  11. scale — size or range
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. saw — the tool
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. staff — employees
  16. scale — in music
  17. saw — the tool
  18. fall — the season
  19. shower — to wash
  20. fall — to drop
  21. stock — goods
  22. shower — rain
  23. staff — employees
  24. net — for catching

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