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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 · game · present · bass · roll · tear · pop · patient

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. pop — music
  5. bass — low music
  6. root — of a plant
  7. game — a match
  8. roll — a list
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. root — the cause
  11. present — the time now
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. tear — from crying
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. tear — to rip
  16. present — a gift
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. bass — the fish
  19. pop — to visit
  20. tear — from crying
  21. pop — soda
  22. root — of a word
  23. present — there
  24. game — wild animals

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