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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: band · fork · coach · game · dip · wind · spring · rush

  1. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. band — a music group
  4. game — wild animals
  5. wind — moving air
  6. spring — a coil
  7. wind — moving air
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. fork — in a road
  13. game — a match
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. rush — hurry
  16. spring — the season
  17. spring — of water
  18. band — a ring
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. fork — to eat with

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