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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: date · rash · field · snap · band · file · plane · lie

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. rash — hasty
  3. lie — to recline
  4. band — a ring
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. field — farmland
  7. file — a tool
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. file — a line of people
  11. field — a subject
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. snap — to click
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. rash — a series
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. band — a music group
  19. plane — a tool
  20. date — the fruit
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. field — for sport
  24. rash — on the skin

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