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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: jam · hand · lean · firm · coach · wind · scale · land

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. scale — size or range
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. hand — help
  9. land — ground
  10. wind — moving air
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. lean — thin
  13. firm — a company
  14. scale — in music
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. land — a country
  17. hand — in cards
  18. firm — decided
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. firm — steady
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. land — to come down
  23. lean — to bend
  24. lean — to rest against

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