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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: fork · saw · club · file · band · arm · current · fan

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. current — electric
  4. band — a ring
  5. club — for dancing
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. club — for golf
  8. file — a line of people
  9. saw — the tool
  10. file — a document
  11. saw — the tool
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. band — a music group
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. file — a tool
  20. current — of water
  21. current — happening now
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. club — a group
  24. fork — in a road

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