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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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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 · stand · key · field · fork · land · pitcher · stick

  1. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. key — for a lock
  3. land — to come down
  4. band — a music group
  5. key — the most important part
  6. band — a ring
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. fork — in a road
  10. field — for sport
  11. land — a country
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. land — ground
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. key — in music
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. field — a subject
  19. field — farmland
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. stand — to bear
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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