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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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468
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: stick · hand · march · coach · stand · bank · sharp · wind

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. march — the month
  7. bank — for money
  8. wind — moving air
  9. wind — moving air
  10. bank — for money
  11. march — music
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. hand — in cards
  14. hand — help
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. sharp — clever
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. bank — of a river
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. march — the month
  22. stand — to bear
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. stand — for spectators

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