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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: bass · squash · club · root · wave · foot · ground · season

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. foot — a measure
  4. bass — low music
  5. club — for dancing
  6. club — a group
  7. ground — crushed
  8. root — the cause
  9. ground — the earth
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. season — of the year
  13. root — of a word
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. bass — the fish
  16. squash — to crush
  17. ground — a position
  18. root — of a plant
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. season — in sport
  24. club — for golf

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