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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: fan · mine · chair · bass · race · ground · root · land

  1. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. bass — low music
  3. ground — crushed
  4. land — ground
  5. bass — the fish
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. ground — a position
  8. land — a country
  9. race — humankind
  10. root — of a plant
  11. root — of a word
  12. race — the arms race
  13. ground — the earth
  14. land — to come down
  15. chair — a leader
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. mine — for digging
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. race — a contest
  24. chair — to sit on

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