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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: root · court · kid · bulb · band · bass · season · bat

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. band — a music group
  3. root — of a word
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. root — of a plant
  6. bass — the fish
  7. bulb — for light
  8. bass — low music
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. season — in sport
  11. kid — child
  12. court — of law
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. root — the cause
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. bulb — for light
  17. season — of the year
  18. bat — the animal
  19. court — for sport
  20. court — of a king
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. band — a ring
  23. kid — to tease
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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