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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: object · wind · sharp · file · bound · chip · band · branch

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. chip — to eat
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. object — a thing
  5. sharp — clever
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. chip — for betting
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. file — a document
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. file — a tool
  14. file — a line of people
  15. bound — tied together
  16. band — a music group
  17. bound — obliged
  18. wind — moving air
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. bound — certain
  21. wind — moving air
  22. object — to protest
  23. object — an aim
  24. branch — a division

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