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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: file · bass · rule · lie · squash · root · rash · fork

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. bass — low music
  3. squash — the sport
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. file — a line of people
  7. root — of a word
  8. root — the cause
  9. rash — a series
  10. squash — to crush
  11. rule — a law
  12. file — a document
  13. bass — the fish
  14. lie — to recline
  15. root — of a plant
  16. file — a tool
  17. fork — in a road
  18. rule — government
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. rash — hasty
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. squash — the vegetable

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