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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: land · pop · coach · lean · jam · fan · band · cell

  1. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. lean — to bend
  4. lean — thin
  5. cell — in biology
  6. band — a music group
  7. band — a ring
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. land — ground
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. pop — music
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. pop — soda
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. land — to come down
  21. cell — a phone
  22. land — a country
  23. pop — to visit
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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