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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: band · coach · charge · spring · pound · bear · bark · stock

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. charge — in control
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. band — a music group
  8. spring — the season
  9. bear — the animal
  10. bark — to shout
  11. charge — electricity
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. spring — a coil
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. band — a ring
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. stock — shares
  20. bear — the animal
  21. spring — of water
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. stock — goods
  24. charge — a price

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