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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 116 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: charge · band · stock · dip · spring · wax · wind · trunk

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. dip — to sink
  4. stock — shares
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. spring — of water
  7. charge — a price
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. wind — moving air
  10. charge — in control
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. spring — the season
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. wind — moving air
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. wax — to grow
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. spring — a coil
  19. band — a music group
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. stock — goods
  23. charge — electricity
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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