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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
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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: march · coach · band · wind · fan · object · arm · safe

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. wind — moving air
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. object — an aim
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. band — a music group
  12. march — music
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. march — the month
  15. object — a thing
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. wind — moving air
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. object — to protest
  22. band — a ring
  23. march — the month
  24. safe — out of danger

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