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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: spring · rock · trunk · pitcher · coach · bank · bark · pound

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. bank — of a river
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. bark — to shout
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. spring — the season
  9. bank — for money
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. spring — a coil
  13. pound — a weight
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. rock — a stone
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. spring — of water
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. rock — music
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. bank — for money
  24. trunk — of a tree

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