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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: chest · net · firm · current · root · spring · bound · file

  1. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. firm — steady
  3. file — a tool
  4. spring — the season
  5. net — in sport
  6. net — for catching
  7. net — after costs
  8. firm — a company
  9. chest — of your body
  10. file — a line of people
  11. spring — a coil
  12. root — the cause
  13. current — of water
  14. spring — of water
  15. chest — of your body
  16. current — electric
  17. chest — a box
  18. root — of a word
  19. bound — certain
  20. current — happening now
  21. firm — decided
  22. file — a document
  23. bound — obliged
  24. bound — tied together

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