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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
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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: march · spell · rock · file · fan · content · mine · band

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. file — a line of people
  3. rock — music
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. content — happy
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. march — the month
  9. march — music
  10. spell — magic
  11. mine — for digging
  12. spell — a short time
  13. band — a music group
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. spell — letters
  18. rock — a stone
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. file — a tool
  21. file — a document
  22. band — a ring
  23. march — the month
  24. fan — a supporter

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