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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: track · file · band · rash · sharp · clip · bulb · rush

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. sharp — clever
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. clip — a video
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. track — a song
  7. file — a tool
  8. bulb — for light
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. band — a music group
  11. bulb — for light
  12. clip — to cut
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. file — a line of people
  15. rush — hurry
  16. rash — hasty
  17. track — a path
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. track — to keep track
  20. clip — for paper
  21. file — a document
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. band — a ring
  24. rash — a series

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