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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: toast · cell · fan · race · coach · band · leaves · trunk

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. band — a ring
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. toast — bread
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. race — a contest
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. race — the arms race
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. band — a music group
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. race — humankind
  21. cell — in biology
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. cell — a phone
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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