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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: key · land · cabinet · chair · band · wave · hide · toast

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. key — in music
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. band — a music group
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. chair — a leader
  15. land — to come down
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. land — ground
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. key — the most important part
  20. toast — bread
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. land — a country
  23. band — a ring
  24. key — for a lock

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