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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: pitcher · spring · board · march · stock · suit · pound · band

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. spring — the season
  3. board — to get on
  4. board — a committee
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. spring — a coil
  9. spring — of water
  10. pound — a weight
  11. stock — goods
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. suit — clothes
  14. suit — in cards
  15. band — a ring
  16. march — music
  17. band — a music group
  18. march — the month
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. march — the month
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. suit — to fit
  24. stock — shares

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