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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. rest — what's left
  3. file — a line of people
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. root — of a word
  6. rock — music
  7. file — a tool
  8. rest — a break
  9. bound — obliged
  10. rock — a stone
  11. lean — to bend
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. root — of a plant
  14. root — the cause
  15. rest — what's left
  16. mine — for digging
  17. file — a document
  18. cell — in biology
  19. lean — thin
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. bound — certain
  24. cell — a phone

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