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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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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 · arm · file · spring · clip · branch · can · band

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. spring — the season
  3. band — a ring
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. spring — a coil
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. file — a tool
  9. clip — a video
  10. file — a line of people
  11. branch — a division
  12. clip — for paper
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. clip — to cut
  15. can — a tin
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. file — a document
  19. can — a tin
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. fine — high quality
  22. fine — all right
  23. can — to be able to
  24. spring — of water

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