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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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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: stand · band · key · wind · coach · arm · craft · vault

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. stand — to bear
  5. wind — moving air
  6. key — for a lock
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. band — a music group
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. craft — a skill
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. vault — a safe
  18. wind — moving air
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. band — a ring
  21. key — the most important part
  22. craft — boats
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. key — in music

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