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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 116 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: game · file · chip · trunk · march · rest · face · band

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. chip — to eat
  3. file — a document
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. face — to confront
  6. rest — a break
  7. game — a match
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. game — wild animals
  11. file — a tool
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. rest — what's left
  14. band — a music group
  15. rest — what's left
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. chip — for betting
  18. march — music
  19. file — a line of people
  20. band — a ring
  21. face — to point toward
  22. face — part of the head
  23. march — the month
  24. trunk — of a car

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