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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: plane · game · nail · band · chip · stand · cabinet · coach

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  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. band — a ring
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. chip — for betting
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. game — wild animals
  9. band — a music group
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. stand — to bear
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. plane — a tool
  18. chip — to eat
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. game — a match
  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