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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: coach · wake · bark · land · kid · track · pound · charge

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. land — a country
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. land — to come down
  5. charge — in control
  6. kid — child
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. pound — a weight
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. track — a path
  14. kid — to tease
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. bark — to shout
  17. wake — a trail
  18. charge — electricity
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. charge — a price
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. land — ground
  23. track — a song
  24. track — to keep track

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