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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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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: staff · file · fall · spring · root · bound

  1. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. staff — employees
  3. fall — to drop
  4. bound — certain
  5. fall — the season
  6. root — of a word
  7. spring — a coil
  8. fall — to drop
  9. staff — employees
  10. file — a line of people
  11. bound — tied together
  12. file — a document
  13. spring — of water
  14. root — of a plant
  15. file — a tool
  16. staff — a stick
  17. spring — the season
  18. bound — obliged

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