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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: coach · march · hide · root · kick · band · wind · firm

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. band — a music group
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. firm — decided
  5. march — music
  6. band — a ring
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. march — the month
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. root — of a word
  12. wind — moving air
  13. root — of a plant
  14. firm — a company
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. march — the month
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. wind — moving air
  20. kick — in football
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. root — the cause
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. firm — steady

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