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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.

Make a worksheet

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: fine · saw · present · file · bass · current · band · wind

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. band — a music group
  3. band — a ring
  4. file — a tool
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. bass — the fish
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. present — a gift
  9. fine — all right
  10. current — of water
  11. fine — high quality
  12. wind — moving air
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. file — a line of people
  15. wind — moving air
  16. saw — the tool
  17. saw — the tool
  18. bass — low music
  19. current — electric
  20. file — a document
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. present — there
  23. present — the time now
  24. wind — to turn a key

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