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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: rule · scale · fan · swing · band · jam · rock · fine

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. rule — a law
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. band — a music group
  6. swing — to play on
  7. scale — size or range
  8. scale — in music
  9. fine — all right
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. fine — high quality
  12. rule — government
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. band — a ring
  16. rock — a stone
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. swing — in golf
  21. rock — music
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. swing — music

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