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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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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: shower · prune · present · root · season · bass · pass · wind

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. bass — low music
  5. shower — to wash
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. present — the time now
  8. season — in sport
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. pass — a permit
  11. prune — to trim
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. root — of a plant
  14. present — a gift
  15. prune — to trim
  16. bass — the fish
  17. shower — rain
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. season — of the year
  20. root — the cause
  21. present — there
  22. wind — moving air
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. wind — moving air

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