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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: scale · prune · wave · stock · charge · staff · field · band

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. charge — electricity
  4. field — farmland
  5. field — a subject
  6. staff — employees
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. band — a ring
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. charge — a price
  11. charge — in control
  12. scale — size or range
  13. staff — employees
  14. scale — in music
  15. staff — a stick
  16. band — a music group
  17. prune — to trim
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. field — for sport
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. prune — to trim
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. stock — goods

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