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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: pitcher · stock · toast · spring · wake · chair · charge · bear

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. bear — the animal
  5. toast — bread
  6. charge — in control
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. charge — a price
  9. spring — a coil
  10. spring — of water
  11. stock — goods
  12. stock — shares
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. spring — the season
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. bear — the animal
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. chair — a leader
  23. charge — electricity
  24. wake — a trail

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