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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 120 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 · pound · charge · board · firm · kid · craft · wound

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. craft — boats
  3. charge — in control
  4. charge — a price
  5. firm — decided
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. wound — an injury
  8. stock — shares
  9. kid — to tease
  10. firm — a company
  11. board — to get on
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. craft — a skill
  14. wound — an injury
  15. board — a committee
  16. kid — child
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. pound — a weight
  19. stock — goods
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. firm — steady
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. charge — electricity

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