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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: file · rest · rock · saw · nail · sharp · bound · bass

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. bass — the fish
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. file — a tool
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. rock — a stone
  9. file — a line of people
  10. saw — the tool
  11. sharp — clever
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. rock — music
  14. saw — the tool
  15. bound — tied together
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. rest — what's left
  18. bass — low music
  19. bound — obliged
  20. bound — certain
  21. rest — a break
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. file — a document
  24. nail — for a hammer

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