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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: stock · capital · kick · wax · charge · club · nail · calf

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. capital — a city
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. charge — electricity
  6. charge — in control
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. stock — goods
  11. club — for dancing
  12. wax — to grow
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. kick — in football
  18. stock — shares
  19. capital — money
  20. club — a group
  21. club — for golf
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. kick — with a leg

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