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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: firm · rush · cold · coach · bank · band · bound · current

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. band — a ring
  3. current — of water
  4. bound — tied together
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. bank — for money
  7. firm — a company
  8. firm — steady
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. current — electric
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. bank — for money
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. bound — certain
  17. cold — not warm
  18. cold — an illness
  19. bound — obliged
  20. band — a music group
  21. rush — hurry
  22. bank — of a river
  23. current — happening now
  24. coach — a trainer

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