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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: jam · fan · band · roll · swing · face · rock · rest

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. swing — to play on
  3. band — a music group
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. rock — a stone
  6. swing — in golf
  7. face — part of the head
  8. rock — music
  9. face — to confront
  10. face — to point toward
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. roll — a list
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. roll — a cake
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. rest — what's left
  19. rest — a break
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. band — a ring
  22. rest — what's left
  23. swing — music
  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