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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: stock · tear · mouse · land · rest · charge · swing · branch

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. charge — in control
  3. tear — from crying
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. charge — a price
  6. charge — electricity
  7. tear — to rip
  8. tear — from crying
  9. land — to come down
  10. rest — what's left
  11. stock — goods
  12. swing — in golf
  13. rest — a break
  14. swing — music
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. land — a country
  17. rest — what's left
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. branch — a division
  20. stock — shares
  21. land — ground
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. swing — to play on
  24. stock — a soup base

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