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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: season · bear · root · tear · bass · cold · ball · pit

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  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. cold — the Cold War
  2. bear — the animal
  3. cold — an illness
  4. tear — from crying
  5. root — of a word
  6. pit — a hole
  7. root — of a plant
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. ball — a dance
  11. ball — a great time
  12. bear — the animal
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. tear — to rip
  15. tear — from crying
  16. season — of the year
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. bass — low music
  19. season — in sport
  20. cold — not warm
  21. bass — the fish
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. pit — in a race
  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