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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 120 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: clip · bound · hide · wind · firm · coach · current · band

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. wind — moving air
  4. current — of water
  5. current — electric
  6. clip — to cut
  7. firm — decided
  8. bound — tied together
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. wind — moving air
  11. current — happening now
  12. bound — obliged
  13. firm — steady
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. band — a music group
  17. clip — for paper
  18. band — a ring
  19. bound — certain
  20. firm — a company
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. clip — a video
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. band — a rubber band

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