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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
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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: wind · game · wake · current · jam · bass · root · mine

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. game — wild animals
  3. bass — low music
  4. game — a match
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. mine — for digging
  7. bass — the fish
  8. root — the cause
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. root — of a plant
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. root — of a word
  17. wake — a trail
  18. wind — moving air
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. current — electric
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. current — happening now
  23. wind — moving air
  24. current — of water

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