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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.

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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 · pound · mine · wound · wax · stock · sharp · charge

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. sharp — clever
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. wax — to grow
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. pound — a weight
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. craft — boats
  15. wound — an injury
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. charge — electricity
  18. charge — in control
  19. craft — a skill
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. wound — an injury
  22. charge — a price
  23. stock — shares
  24. mine — for digging

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