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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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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 · wind · file · leaves · ruler · clip · fall · rest

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. fall — the season
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. band — a music group
  5. band — a ring
  6. fall — to drop
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. rest — a break
  9. rest — what's left
  10. clip — a video
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. wind — moving air
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. file — a tool
  15. rest — what's left
  16. wind — moving air
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. file — a document
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. clip — to cut
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. fall — to drop
  23. clip — for paper
  24. band — a rubber band

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