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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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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: fork · track · band · dip · file · club · stand · wind

  1. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. track — to keep track
  4. fork — in a road
  5. stand — to bear
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. file — a tool
  9. track — a song
  10. file — a line of people
  11. track — a path
  12. file — a document
  13. band — a ring
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. dip — to sink
  16. club — for dancing
  17. band — a music group
  18. club — for golf
  19. wind — moving air
  20. wind — moving air
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. club — a group
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. dip — to dunk

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