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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: object · rule · club · spring · bound · current · file · foot

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. file — a document
  4. file — a line of people
  5. current — happening now
  6. spring — of water
  7. object — to protest
  8. bound — obliged
  9. club — for dancing
  10. rule — a law
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. file — a tool
  13. club — for golf
  14. bound — tied together
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. current — of water
  17. rule — government
  18. club — a group
  19. foot — a measure
  20. object — an aim
  21. current — electric
  22. spring — a coil
  23. bound — certain
  24. spring — the season

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