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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: staff · stock · spell · pit · shower · charge · rash · branch

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. charge — electricity
  3. shower — to wash
  4. staff — employees
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. charge — in control
  7. shower — rain
  8. stock — shares
  9. pit — in a race
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. spell — magic
  12. branch — a division
  13. charge — a price
  14. pit — a hole
  15. staff — a stick
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. rash — a series
  19. stock — goods
  20. spell — letters
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. staff — employees
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. rash — hasty

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