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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: band · cold · safe · cabinet · capital · tube · fan · chest

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. tube — a container
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. band — a ring
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. band — a music group
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. chest — of your body
  16. cold — not warm
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. capital — a city
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. cold — an illness
  22. chest — of your body
  23. tube — the underground
  24. chest — a box

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