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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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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: deal · key · swing · plane · band · wind · tear · file

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. band — a ring
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. tear — from crying
  5. file — a tool
  6. file — a document
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. tear — to rip
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. swing — music
  11. key — the most important part
  12. tear — from crying
  13. deal — to handle
  14. swing — to play on
  15. swing — in golf
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. key — in music
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. file — a line of people
  20. key — for a lock
  21. plane — a tool
  22. wind — moving air
  23. band — a music group
  24. wind — moving air

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