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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: perch · band · face · lie · track · tube · club · file

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. band — a ring
  4. perch — the fish
  5. file — a document
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. tube — the underground
  8. face — to confront
  9. track — a path
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. club — for golf
  12. face — part of the head
  13. tube — a container
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. file — a tool
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. track — to keep track
  19. band — a music group
  20. club — a group
  21. lie — to recline
  22. face — to point toward
  23. club — for dancing
  24. file — a line of people

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