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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
468
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 · rock · bound · pop · craft · degree · fan · march

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. bound — tied together
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. degree — from a university
  5. file — a document
  6. file — a tool
  7. rock — a stone
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. rock — music
  10. march — the month
  11. craft — boats
  12. pop — soda
  13. craft — a skill
  14. bound — obliged
  15. march — music
  16. pop — to visit
  17. degree — temperature
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. file — a line of people
  20. degree — an amount
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. march — the month
  23. pop — music
  24. bound — certain

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