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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: chest · cell · hand · firm · saw · coach · tube · land

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. saw — the tool
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. saw — the tool
  5. land — a country
  6. chest — a box
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. firm — steady
  9. land — to come down
  10. cell — in biology
  11. hand — help
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. hand — in cards
  15. land — ground
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. firm — a company
  18. chest — of your body
  19. tube — the underground
  20. firm — decided
  21. cell — a phone
  22. chest — of your body
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. tube — a container

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