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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: file · ball · mine · band · foot · trunk · bank · bass

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. bank — of a river
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. band — a music group
  5. bank — for money
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. foot — a measure
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. file — a document
  10. file — a tool
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. bass — the fish
  13. ball — a great time
  14. bank — for money
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. band — a ring
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. mine — for digging
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. file — a line of people
  23. ball — a dance
  24. bass — the instrument

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