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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.

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: roll · chair · can · field · snap · chest · coach · band

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  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. band — a rubber band
  2. field — a subject
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. chest — a box
  5. can — a tin
  6. band — a ring
  7. chest — of your body
  8. snap — to click
  9. band — a music group
  10. field — for sport
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. chest — of your body
  14. roll — a cake
  15. roll — a list
  16. can — a tin
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. can — to be able to
  19. field — farmland
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. chair — a leader
  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