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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 120 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: staff · bulb · bass · board · pound · race · root · perch

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. race — humankind
  3. bulb — for light
  4. race — a contest
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. staff — employees
  7. bass — the fish
  8. perch — the fish
  9. root — the cause
  10. root — of a word
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. staff — a stick
  14. root — of a plant
  15. board — a committee
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. pound — a weight
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. board — to get on
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. race — the arms race
  23. staff — employees
  24. bulb — for light

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