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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.

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: rest · bass · spell · tube · chair · row · root · roll

  1. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. tube — the underground
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. bass — the fish
  5. rest — a break
  6. bass — low music
  7. root — of a word
  8. spell — letters
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. chair — a leader
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. tube — a container
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. spell — a short time
  17. roll — a cake
  18. row — a line
  19. roll — a list
  20. root — the cause
  21. row — to paddle
  22. rest — what's left
  23. spell — magic
  24. rest — what's left

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