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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 · board · present · band · game · bulb · stock · date

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. present — there
  3. present — the time now
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. game — wild animals
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. bulb — for light
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. stock — goods
  10. game — a match
  11. file — a line of people
  12. stock — shares
  13. present — a gift
  14. band — a ring
  15. date — the fruit
  16. board — to get on
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. bulb — for light
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. board — a committee
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. file — a tool
  24. file — a document

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