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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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. bass — the fish
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. bass — low music
  6. ground — the earth
  7. season — of the year
  8. wax — to grow
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. stock — goods
  14. ground — a position
  15. ground — crushed
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. root — of a word
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. stock — shares
  20. root — of a plant
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. season — in sport
  24. bowl — a dish

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