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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: bound · object · track · rest · swing · ground · arm · root

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. bound — obliged
  3. object — a thing
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. rest — what's left
  6. swing — music
  7. rest — what's left
  8. ground — crushed
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. ground — a position
  11. swing — in golf
  12. track — a song
  13. rest — a break
  14. swing — to play on
  15. root — the cause
  16. object — an aim
  17. root — of a word
  18. track — a path
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. root — of a plant
  21. bound — certain
  22. object — to protest
  23. ground — the earth
  24. track — to keep track

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