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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: firm · bass · band · lean · stick · content · bay · file

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. firm — steady
  3. band — a ring
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. bass — low music
  6. file — a tool
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. firm — decided
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. file — a line of people
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. lean — to bend
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. content — happy
  16. band — a music group
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. content — the amount
  20. firm — a company
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. bass — the fish
  23. file — a document
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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