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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: root · drill · spring · bound · race · bass · file · club

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. root — of a plant
  3. club — a group
  4. drill — the tool
  5. drill — army training
  6. file — a line of people
  7. file — a document
  8. bass — low music
  9. file — a tool
  10. spring — a coil
  11. race — a contest
  12. bound — certain
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. root — of a word
  15. race — humankind
  16. bound — tied together
  17. spring — the season
  18. drill — a practice
  19. spring — of water
  20. club — for dancing
  21. bass — the fish
  22. club — for golf
  23. race — the arms race
  24. root — the cause

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