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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: kid · fork · bank · land · coach · wind · stick · cell

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. cell — in biology
  3. fork — in a road
  4. kid — child
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. cell — a phone
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. land — ground
  9. wind — moving air
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. bank — for money
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. land — a country
  15. bank — of a river
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. land — to come down
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. bank — for money
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. kid — to tease
  24. coach — a trainer

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