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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: bank · band · clip · fine · face · racket · file · present

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. fine — high quality
  3. face — to confront
  4. clip — to cut
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. bank — for money
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. band — a music group
  10. face — to point toward
  11. bank — of a river
  12. clip — for paper
  13. present — the time now
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. band — a ring
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. present — a gift
  18. file — a tool
  19. fine — all right
  20. clip — a video
  21. bank — for money
  22. face — part of the head
  23. file — a document
  24. present — there

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