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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: track · coach · stock · bound · pitcher · can · root · bark

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. bark — to shout
  3. track — a song
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. can — a tin
  7. root — of a word
  8. root — the cause
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. track — a path
  11. root — of a plant
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. stock — goods
  14. track — to keep track
  15. can — a tin
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. bound — obliged
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. bound — tied together
  21. bound — certain
  22. stock — shares
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. can — to be able to

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