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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: wind · bark · coach · band · kid · pit · track · stick

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. track — to keep track
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. track — a path
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. band — a ring
  7. track — a song
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. wind — moving air
  10. band — a music group
  11. wind — moving air
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. pit — a hole
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. pit — in a race
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. bark — to shout
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. kid — child
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. kid — to tease

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