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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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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: arm · band · stand · key · wind · bowl · track · leaves

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. band — a ring
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. wind — moving air
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. band — a music group
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. stand — to bear
  12. track — to keep track
  13. key — the most important part
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. key — for a lock
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. key — in music
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. track — a path
  22. wind — moving air
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. track — a song

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