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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: ruler · capital · chest · can · stem · charge · stock · pitcher

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. chest — of your body
  3. can — to be able to
  4. can — a tin
  5. stock — goods
  6. capital — money
  7. capital — a city
  8. charge — a price
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. stem — to come from
  13. stock — shares
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. can — a tin
  17. charge — electricity
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. chest — of your body
  24. charge — in control

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