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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. bass — the fish
  3. perch — the fish
  4. band — a music group
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. ground — a position
  8. root — of a word
  9. spell — a short time
  10. ground — the earth
  11. spell — magic
  12. spell — letters
  13. root — of a plant
  14. saw — the tool
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. band — a ring
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. ground — crushed
  21. saw — the tool
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. bass — low music
  24. perch — for a bird

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