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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 116 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: staff · racket · cell · hide · bark · band · stock · charge

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. charge — a price
  3. cell — in biology
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. staff — employees
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. bark — to shout
  12. charge — electricity
  13. staff — employees
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. band — a music group
  16. charge — in control
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. band — a ring
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. staff — a stick
  22. stock — goods
  23. stock — shares
  24. cell — a phone

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