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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. root — of a word
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. bass — the fish
  5. field — farmland
  6. wound — an injury
  7. scale — in music
  8. root — the cause
  9. root — of a plant
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. field — for sport
  12. wound — an injury
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. firm — decided
  15. scale — size or range
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. field — a subject
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. mine — for digging
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. firm — a company
  24. firm — steady

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