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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.

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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: wind · suit · coach · pound · club · stock

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. pound — a weight
  3. suit — to fit
  4. stock — shares
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. club — for golf
  8. club — for dancing
  9. suit — in cards
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. suit — clothes
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. club — a group
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. wind — moving air

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