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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 116 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
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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: rock · land · kid · season · file · bear · band · can

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. file — a document
  3. kid — to tease
  4. land — ground
  5. rock — music
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. can — a tin
  9. bear — the animal
  10. file — a line of people
  11. season — of the year
  12. band — a music group
  13. rock — a stone
  14. season — in sport
  15. can — a tin
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. kid — child
  19. band — a ring
  20. bear — the animal
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. land — to come down
  23. land — a country
  24. file — a tool

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