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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: root · band · spell · bass · swing · bark · court · jam

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. bark — to shout
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. swing — music
  5. bass — the fish
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. court — for sport
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. root — the cause
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. band — a ring
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. court — of law
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. spell — a short time
  17. spell — letters
  18. band — a music group
  19. court — of a king
  20. swing — to play on
  21. spell — magic
  22. bass — low music
  23. root — of a plant
  24. swing — in golf

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