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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: bass · sharp · jam · season · bay · drill · land · root

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. land — ground
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. drill — army training
  5. root — of a plant
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. land — a country
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. root — of a word
  12. root — the cause
  13. bass — low music
  14. sharp — clever
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. drill — a practice
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. bass — the fish
  19. season — in sport
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. land — to come down
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. drill — the tool
  24. season — of the year

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