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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: rock · band · roll · bear · fan · firm · rash · file

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. rash — a series
  3. band — a music group
  4. roll — a cake
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. firm — decided
  7. rock — music
  8. file — a document
  9. rock — a stone
  10. file — a line of people
  11. band — a ring
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. firm — steady
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. rash — hasty
  16. file — a tool
  17. firm — a company
  18. bear — the animal
  19. bear — the animal
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. fan — to cool the air

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