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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: cold · fan · charge · wound · stock · kick · stem · rash

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. charge — electricity
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. cold — an illness
  7. stem — to come from
  8. wound — an injury
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. stock — goods
  11. wound — an injury
  12. kick — in football
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. rash — a series
  15. charge — a price
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. charge — in control
  21. rash — hasty
  22. cold — not warm
  23. stock — shares
  24. fan — a supporter

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