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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 120 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: bulb · face · fine · track · band · cabinet · file · board

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. band — a ring
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. fine — all right
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. track — to keep track
  9. bulb — for light
  10. face — to point toward
  11. band — a music group
  12. face — part of the head
  13. file — a document
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. track — a path
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. board — to get on
  18. file — a tool
  19. track — a song
  20. board — a committee
  21. face — to confront
  22. file — a line of people
  23. bulb — for light
  24. fine — high quality

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