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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: plane · wind · present · root · bass · bat · mouse · firm

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. root — of a plant
  4. present — the time now
  5. present — a gift
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. firm — decided
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. firm — steady
  12. root — the cause
  13. wind — moving air
  14. present — there
  15. firm — a company
  16. plane — a tool
  17. root — of a word
  18. bass — the fish
  19. bass — low music
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. bat — the animal

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