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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: bass · root · current · scale · snap · season · rock · sharp

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. scale — size or range
  3. current — of water
  4. sharp — clever
  5. rock — music
  6. season — in sport
  7. scale — in music
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. current — happening now
  11. rock — a stone
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. root — of a plant
  15. root — of a word
  16. current — electric
  17. bass — the fish
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. season — of the year
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. snap — to click
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. root — the cause

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