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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. root — of a plant
  4. board — a committee
  5. suit — clothes
  6. board — to get on
  7. root — the cause
  8. ground — a position
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. ground — the earth
  15. ground — crushed
  16. root — of a word
  17. band — a music group
  18. wax — to grow
  19. suit — in cards
  20. band — a ring
  21. bass — low music
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. suit — to fit
  24. bat — the animal

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