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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: season · root · rush · tube · wave · spring · field · bass

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. bass — low music
  5. spring — a coil
  6. season — of the year
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. root — of a word
  9. spring — the season
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. spring — of water
  12. field — farmland
  13. rush — hurry
  14. root — of a plant
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. root — the cause
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. bass — the fish
  20. field — for sport
  21. tube — a container
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. field — a subject
  24. tube — the underground

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