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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 120 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 · bound · cabinet · pound · charge · can · stock

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. bound — certain
  4. can — a tin
  5. bound — tied together
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. charge — a price
  9. can — to be able to
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. charge — electricity
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. stock — goods
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. spring — a coil
  16. can — a tin
  17. spring — the season
  18. pound — a weight
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. charge — in control
  21. stock — shares
  22. spring — of water
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. bound — obliged

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