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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: wind · firm · current · kick · land · squash · coach · bay

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. land — ground
  4. firm — steady
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. current — electric
  8. current — happening now
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. wind — moving air
  11. current — of water
  12. squash — to crush
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. wind — moving air
  16. land — to come down
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. kick — in football
  21. firm — decided
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. firm — a company
  24. land — a country

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