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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 120 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: club · prune · last · deal · bound · root · tube · file

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. bound — tied together
  3. bound — certain
  4. bound — obliged
  5. file — a document
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. root — of a plant
  8. tube — the underground
  9. prune — to trim
  10. tube — a container
  11. club — for dancing
  12. root — of a word
  13. prune — to trim
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. last — finally
  16. file — a tool
  17. root — the cause
  18. file — a line of people
  19. last — final
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. deal — to handle
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. last — to go on
  24. club — a group

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