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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: fall · bound · ruler · root · bass · object · chest · rash

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  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. ruler — a monarch
  3. bound — tied together
  4. object — an aim
  5. chest — of your body
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. rash — hasty
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. chest — of your body
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. root — of a word
  12. bass — low music
  13. fall — the season
  14. object — a thing
  15. fall — to drop
  16. root — of a plant
  17. chest — a box
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. object — to protest
  20. bass — the fish
  21. bound — certain
  22. fall — to drop
  23. rash — a series
  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