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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: fan · bear · ground · date · bass · clip · toast · root

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. toast — bread
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. bear — the animal
  5. bear — the animal
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. root — of a word
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. clip — a video
  10. bass — the fish
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. ground — crushed
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. ground — the earth
  18. date — the fruit
  19. root — the cause
  20. root — of a plant
  21. clip — for paper
  22. clip — to cut
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. bass — low music

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