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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: fall · chip · file · fine · date · fan · band · plane

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. file — a line of people
  3. fall — to drop
  4. date — the fruit
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. fall — to drop
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. fall — the season
  10. chip — for betting
  11. file — a tool
  12. file — a document
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. chip — to eat
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. band — a ring
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. fine — all right
  21. fine — high quality
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. plane — a tool
  24. plane — an aircraft

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