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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: shower · root · field · bass · firm · race · racket · pass

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. field — for sport
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. root — of a plant
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. field — farmland
  8. firm — steady
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. field — a subject
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. bass — the fish
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. root — of a word
  15. pass — a permit
  16. firm — decided
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. race — the arms race
  19. shower — to wash
  20. root — the cause
  21. firm — a company
  22. race — humankind
  23. bass — low music
  24. shower — rain

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