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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: track · fine · hand · coach · band · stem · fork · kid

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. track — a song
  5. band — a music group
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. hand — help
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. fine — all right
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. track — a path
  15. kid — to tease
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. fine — high quality
  18. band — a ring
  19. stem — to come from
  20. hand — in cards
  21. fork — in a road
  22. track — to keep track
  23. stem — of a plant
  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