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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 · wound · file · bound · bulb · foot · object · fork

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. bound — tied together
  3. bound — certain
  4. bulb — for light
  5. object — an aim
  6. fork — in a road
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. file — a tool
  11. file — a document
  12. bound — obliged
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. object — to protest
  15. game — a match
  16. wound — an injury
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. wound — an injury
  21. file — a line of people
  22. game — wild animals
  23. object — a thing
  24. foot — a measure

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