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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: lie · roll · fan · deal · file · cue · trunk · band

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. cue — a hint
  3. cue — a signal
  4. band — a music group
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. deal — to handle
  9. band — a ring
  10. roll — a cake
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. file — a document
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. roll — a list
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. file — a tool
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. cue — for pool
  21. file — a line of people
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. lie — to recline

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