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

Word bank: root · pound · bass · racket · swing · wave · land · pass

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. swing — to play on
  4. swing — in golf
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. pass — a permit
  8. land — ground
  9. land — to come down
  10. pound — a weight
  11. bass — the fish
  12. root — the cause
  13. root — of a word
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. bass — low music
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. root — of a plant
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. swing — music
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. land — a country

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