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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: toast · mine · cap · scale · file · bound · root · bark

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. cap — a hat
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. scale — in music
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. root — of a word
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. root — the cause
  10. bound — certain
  11. mine — for digging
  12. bark — to shout
  13. toast — bread
  14. root — of a plant
  15. file — a line of people
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. file — a document
  18. bound — obliged
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. cap — a lid
  21. scale — size or range
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. cap — of ice
  24. file — a tool

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