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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: wake · rush · march · bowl · bound · root · band · file

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. march — music
  3. rush — hurry
  4. band — a ring
  5. root — of a plant
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. bound — tied together
  8. file — a tool
  9. root — of a word
  10. band — a music group
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. bound — certain
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. bound — obliged
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. march — the month
  20. wake — a trail
  21. root — the cause
  22. march — the month
  23. file — a document
  24. bowl — a football final

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