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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: bowl · charge · branch · stock · rest · chest · racket · cap

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. chest — of your body
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. stock — goods
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. charge — a price
  7. cap — a lid
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. chest — a box
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. stock — shares
  15. branch — a division
  16. charge — electricity
  17. rest — what's left
  18. charge — in control
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. cap — of ice
  22. rest — what's left
  23. rest — a break
  24. chest — of your body

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