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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: chest · arm · band · capital · coach · trunk · fine · firm

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. fine — high quality
  7. firm — steady
  8. band — a music group
  9. capital — money
  10. fine — all right
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. band — a ring
  14. firm — decided
  15. capital — a city
  16. chest — of your body
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. chest — of your body
  21. chest — a box
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. firm — a company

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