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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: game · file · fork · bass · net · lean · bound · root

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. file — a line of people
  3. game — a match
  4. net — for catching
  5. fork — in a road
  6. game — wild animals
  7. bound — tied together
  8. file — a tool
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. root — the cause
  11. net — in sport
  12. lean — thin
  13. bound — certain
  14. bound — obliged
  15. bass — low music
  16. bass — the fish
  17. root — of a plant
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. net — after costs
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. file — a document
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. root — of a word

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