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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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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 · stand · pound · clip · branch · track · fine · coach

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. track — to keep track
  3. spring — a coil
  4. spring — the season
  5. stand — to bear
  6. track — a song
  7. spring — of water
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. clip — to cut
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. fine — all right
  14. pound — a weight
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. track — a path
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. branch — a division
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. clip — a video
  21. clip — for paper
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. fine — high quality

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