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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: charge · spring · pass · coach · kid · fork · pound · sharp

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. sharp — clever
  3. charge — a price
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. charge — electricity
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. fork — in a road
  16. charge — in control
  17. spring — a coil
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. kid — child
  20. pound — a weight
  21. pass — a permit
  22. spring — the season
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. kid — to tease

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