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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: bear · face · stock · charge · cold · stem · content · wave

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. stock — shares
  4. content — happy
  5. cold — an illness
  6. face — to confront
  7. charge — in control
  8. bear — the animal
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. bear — the animal
  11. face — to point toward
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. face — part of the head
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. cold — not warm
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. content — the amount
  20. charge — electricity
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. stock — goods
  23. stem — to come from
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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