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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: capital · wind · band · cue · jam · file · track · land

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. track — to keep track
  3. track — a path
  4. band — a music group
  5. cue — for pool
  6. capital — money
  7. land — a country
  8. land — to come down
  9. track — a song
  10. file — a tool
  11. land — ground
  12. file — a line of people
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. cue — a hint
  15. file — a document
  16. capital — a city
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. wind — moving air
  19. band — a ring
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. cue — a signal
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. jam — a tight spot

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