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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: roll · charge · chair · trunk · stock · rash · saw · can

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. can — a tin
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. chair — a leader
  5. stock — goods
  6. charge — a price
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. roll — a list
  9. can — to be able to
  10. roll — a cake
  11. charge — electricity
  12. rash — a series
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. rash — hasty
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. charge — in control
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. stock — shares
  22. can — a tin
  23. saw — the tool
  24. saw — the tool

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