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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: mine · file · bass · swing · bark · face · band · chest

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. band — a music group
  3. swing — music
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. file — a tool
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. file — a line of people
  8. face — part of the head
  9. bark — to shout
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. swing — in golf
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. chest — a box
  14. mine — for digging
  15. band — a ring
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. swing — to play on
  18. chest — of your body
  19. bass — low music
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. face — to point toward
  22. bass — the fish
  23. face — to confront
  24. chest — of your body

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