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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: chair · tube · fall · fan · track · band · foot · cabinet

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. track — a song
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. chair — a leader
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. fall — to drop
  11. track — to keep track
  12. track — a path
  13. fall — the season
  14. band — a ring
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. foot — a measure
  19. band — a music group
  20. fall — to drop
  21. tube — the underground
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. tube — a container
  24. cabinet — ministers

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