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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  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. file — a line of people
  2. file — a tool
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. spring — of water
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. clip — to cut
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. spring — the season
  10. spring — a coil
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. board — a committee
  13. bass — the fish
  14. clip — for paper
  15. bass — low music
  16. bank — for money
  17. current — electric
  18. bank — for money
  19. bank — of a river
  20. clip — a video
  21. current — of water
  22. current — happening now
  23. board — to get on
  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