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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: band · swing · file · sharp · cabinet · saw · current · stand

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. band — a music group
  4. stand — to bear
  5. saw — the tool
  6. file — a line of people
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. band — a ring
  9. current — of water
  10. file — a tool
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. saw — the tool
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. file — a document
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. current — electric
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. sharp — clever
  22. swing — in golf
  23. swing — music
  24. current — happening now

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