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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: bank · firm · fine · pit · land · band · wind · sharp

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. sharp — clever
  4. band — a music group
  5. bank — for money
  6. land — to come down
  7. land — ground
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. pit — a hole
  10. pit — in a race
  11. fine — all right
  12. wind — moving air
  13. firm — a company
  14. band — a ring
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. fine — high quality
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. land — a country
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. bank — for money
  22. wind — moving air
  23. firm — decided
  24. bank — of a river

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