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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: rash · net · cabinet · toast · cell · band · last · fork

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. band — a music group
  6. net — in sport
  7. band — a ring
  8. last — finally
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. toast — bread
  11. rash — a series
  12. cell — a phone
  13. cell — in biology
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. last — final
  16. net — for catching
  17. last — to go on
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. fork — in a road
  22. net — after costs
  23. rash — hasty
  24. fork — a garden tool

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