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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: band · last · bound · bulb · chip · file · face · shower

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  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. bound — certain
  2. file — a tool
  3. bulb — for light
  4. chip — for betting
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. band — a ring
  8. shower — rain
  9. last — finally
  10. face — to confront
  11. face — to point toward
  12. chip — to eat
  13. last — to go on
  14. file — a line of people
  15. bound — obliged
  16. band — a music group
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. face — part of the head
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. last — final
  22. shower — to wash
  23. bound — tied together
  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