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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: rock · wind · root · stem · bass · mouse · board · bat

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. wind — moving air
  3. stem — to come from
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. bass — the fish
  6. board — a committee
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. bass — low music
  10. root — of a word
  11. board — to get on
  12. root — the cause
  13. rock — music
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. rock — a stone
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. root — of a plant
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. bat — the animal
  22. wind — moving air
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. bat — for baseball

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