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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: rest · bass · land · stand · fan · arm · pop · file

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. file — a tool
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. rest — what's left
  5. pop — music
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. file — a line of people
  8. pop — soda
  9. land — to come down
  10. rest — what's left
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. rest — a break
  13. pop — to visit
  14. file — a document
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. bass — the fish
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. stand — to bear
  22. land — a country
  23. bass — low music
  24. land — ground

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