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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: last · root · calf · race · bass · fork · rock · season

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. root — of a plant
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. race — humankind
  5. last — to go on
  6. root — of a word
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. rock — a stone
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. rock — music
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. root — the cause
  14. bass — low music
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. fork — in a road
  17. last — final
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. race — the arms race
  20. bass — the fish
  21. season — in sport
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. season — of the year
  24. race — a contest

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