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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: fine · suit · bass · wax · file · band · fan · bark

  1. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. fine — all right
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. bass — low music
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. band — a music group
  8. suit — in cards
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. fine — high quality
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. file — a tool
  14. band — a ring
  15. file — a line of people
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. suit — clothes
  21. wax — to grow
  22. bark — to shout
  23. file — a document
  24. bass — the fish

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