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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: cabinet · land · last · straw · can · chest · lean · coach

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. chest — of your body
  4. land — a country
  5. can — a tin
  6. chest — of your body
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. can — a tin
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. land — ground
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. last — to go on
  15. chest — a box
  16. last — finally
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. lean — thin
  19. last — final
  20. lean — to bend
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. can — to be able to
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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