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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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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 · band · rest · track · field · lash · cell · key

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. field — farmland
  5. field — a subject
  6. field — for sport
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. key — in music
  9. rest — a break
  10. cell — in biology
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. key — the most important part
  13. band — a music group
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. cell — a phone
  16. track — a path
  17. key — for a lock
  18. track — to keep track
  19. rest — what's left
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. band — a ring
  23. rest — what's left
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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