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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · bear · spell · root · bound · straw · band · capital

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. file — a document
  3. file — a tool
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. bound — tied together
  6. bear — the animal
  7. file — a line of people
  8. root — of a plant
  9. bound — obliged
  10. spell — magic
  11. spell — a short time
  12. root — the cause
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. bound — certain
  16. root — of a word
  17. capital — money
  18. bear — the animal
  19. band — a ring
  20. spell — letters
  21. capital — a city
  22. band — a music group
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. capital — a big letter

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