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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 120 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: mug · mine · wave · band · net · wind · bear · file

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. file — a document
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. net — in sport
  6. mine — for digging
  7. net — after costs
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. bear — the animal
  10. mug — to rob
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. mug — a cup
  13. wind — moving air
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. band — a ring
  16. wind — moving air
  17. band — a music group
  18. file — a line of people
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. bear — the animal
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. file — a tool
  24. mug — a face

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