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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: craft · last · chest · can · stock · charge · wound · board

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. craft — boats
  3. last — finally
  4. last — to go on
  5. charge — a price
  6. board — to get on
  7. board — a committee
  8. can — a tin
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. charge — in control
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. chest — of your body
  13. last — final
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. wound — an injury
  16. can — a tin
  17. craft — a skill
  18. stock — goods
  19. wound — an injury
  20. chest — a box
  21. chest — of your body
  22. charge — electricity
  23. stock — shares
  24. board — a flat piece

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