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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: mark · file · ruler · band · pit · wind · clip · scale

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. mark — a grade
  5. clip — for paper
  6. clip — a video
  7. pit — in a race
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. pit — a hole
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. file — a tool
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. wind — moving air
  14. clip — to cut
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. band — a music group
  17. scale — in music
  18. band — a ring
  19. file — a line of people
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. file — a document
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. wind — moving air
  24. scale — size or range

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