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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 116 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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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: ball · current · file · cell · track · sharp · bank · bound

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. track — a song
  3. bank — for money
  4. bank — of a river
  5. track — to keep track
  6. ball — a great time
  7. bound — tied together
  8. bank — for money
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. sharp — clever
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. current — of water
  14. current — happening now
  15. bound — certain
  16. cell — in biology
  17. file — a line of people
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. track — a path
  20. file — a document
  21. bound — obliged
  22. ball — a dance
  23. current — electric
  24. cell — a phone

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