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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: spring · clip · bear · stock · pitcher · pound · charge · drill

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. spring — a coil
  3. clip — a video
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. clip — to cut
  6. charge — in control
  7. drill — the tool
  8. bear — the animal
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. stock — goods
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. bear — the animal
  13. charge — electricity
  14. spring — of water
  15. clip — for paper
  16. charge — a price
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. drill — a practice
  21. pound — a weight
  22. stock — shares
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. spring — the season

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