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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: can · tube · coach · cabinet · roll · rush · charge · chest

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. roll — a list
  4. charge — in control
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. roll — a cake
  7. charge — electricity
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. charge — a price
  11. tube — the underground
  12. tube — a container
  13. chest — a box
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. rush — hurry
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. can — to be able to
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. chest — of your body
  20. can — a tin
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. can — a tin
  24. chest — of your body

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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