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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: vault · prune · stock · charge · wax · ball · pound · net

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. charge — a price
  6. prune — to trim
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. net — for catching
  10. stock — goods
  11. net — in sport
  12. ball — a dance
  13. vault — a safe
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. wax — to grow
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. net — after costs
  18. prune — to trim
  19. charge — in control
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. stock — shares
  23. pound — a weight
  24. ball — a great time

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