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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: coach · cabinet · march · fan · band · object · root · arm

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. march — music
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. root — of a plant
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. object — to protest
  8. march — the month
  9. object — an aim
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. object — a thing
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. root — the cause
  18. band — a music group
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. march — the month
  23. root — of a word
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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