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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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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 · bass · bear · vault · stand · last · racket · cold

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. vault — a safe
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. last — to go on
  5. last — finally
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. bear — the animal
  8. root — the cause
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. bass — low music
  11. stand — to bear
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. bass — the fish
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. root — of a word
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. last — final
  21. root — of a plant
  22. cold — not warm
  23. cold — an illness
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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