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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 116 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: net · spell · staff · object · root · bound · cap · file

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. object — a thing
  3. bound — certain
  4. staff — employees
  5. object — an aim
  6. staff — employees
  7. bound — tied together
  8. file — a document
  9. net — in sport
  10. file — a line of people
  11. spell — magic
  12. spell — a short time
  13. object — to protest
  14. root — the cause
  15. root — of a word
  16. cap — a lid
  17. net — after costs
  18. net — for catching
  19. file — a tool
  20. cap — of ice
  21. root — of a plant
  22. spell — letters
  23. cap — a hat
  24. staff — a stick

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