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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.

Make a worksheet

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: mine · lash · coach · content · cabinet · chest · band · fan

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. content — the amount
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. chest — of your body
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. chest — a box
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. band — a music group
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. mine — for digging
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. chest — of your body
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. content — happy
  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