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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: last · hand · stock · object · mine · bark · rest · charge

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. stock — goods
  5. bark — to shout
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. rest — what's left
  8. charge — in control
  9. last — finally
  10. object — a thing
  11. last — final
  12. charge — a price
  13. hand — help
  14. rest — a break
  15. mine — for digging
  16. object — to protest
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. object — an aim
  19. rest — what's left
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. charge — electricity
  22. hand — in cards
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. last — to go on

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