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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: file · rush · pit · wind · clip · band · saw · rock

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. wind — moving air
  4. clip — to cut
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. rock — music
  7. pit — a hole
  8. saw — the tool
  9. clip — for paper
  10. band — a ring
  11. pit — in a race
  12. file — a line of people
  13. file — a tool
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. rock — a stone
  18. file — a document
  19. rush — hurry
  20. wind — moving air
  21. clip — a video
  22. saw — the tool
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. band — a music group

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