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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: stock · hand · mate · tear · lash · charge · rush · band

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. tear — from crying
  3. tear — to rip
  4. mate — to breed
  5. mate — a partner
  6. band — a music group
  7. stock — goods
  8. charge — a price
  9. stock — shares
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. tear — from crying
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. rush — hurry
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. charge — electricity
  19. band — a ring
  20. mate — a friend
  21. hand — in cards
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. charge — in control
  24. rush — a thrill

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