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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 · stick · band · perch · chest · cell · coach · track

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. cell — in biology
  3. chest — a box
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. cell — a phone
  6. track — a song
  7. perch — the fish
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. band — a ring
  11. band — a music group
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. track — to keep track
  14. rash — hasty
  15. chest — of your body
  16. rash — a series
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. track — a path
  22. chest — of your body
  23. perch — for a bird
  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