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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: trunk · charge · ground · season · cabinet · march · stock · squash

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. squash — the sport
  3. march — music
  4. march — the month
  5. ground — a position
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. charge — in control
  8. charge — a price
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. ground — the earth
  14. squash — to crush
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. season — in sport
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. stock — shares
  19. ground — crushed
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. march — the month
  23. season — of the year
  24. charge — electricity

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