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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: band · fork · coach · wind · land · key · stand · current

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. fork — in a road
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. land — a country
  5. stand — to bear
  6. wind — moving air
  7. key — the most important part
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. land — ground
  10. current — happening now
  11. key — for a lock
  12. band — a ring
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. current — of water
  16. land — to come down
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. wind — moving air
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. current — electric
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. band — a music group
  24. key — in music

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