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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 120 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. band — a ring
  3. wound — an injury
  4. file — a document
  5. clip — to cut
  6. wound — an injury
  7. file — a line of people
  8. current — electric
  9. object — a thing
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. clip — for paper
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. object — an aim
  17. band — a music group
  18. current — happening now
  19. spell — a short time
  20. spell — letters
  21. current — of water
  22. spell — magic
  23. clip — a video
  24. object — to protest

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