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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: spring · snap · file · root · rash · bound · pound · wax

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. rash — hasty
  3. bound — obliged
  4. bound — tied together
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. file — a line of people
  7. spring — of water
  8. spring — the season
  9. file — a document
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. bound — certain
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. root — of a plant
  14. root — the cause
  15. pound — a weight
  16. rash — a series
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. wax — to grow
  20. file — a tool
  21. snap — to click
  22. root — of a word
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. spring — a coil

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