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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: jam · season · racket · plane · bat · bass · staff · root

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. bass — the fish
  4. staff — employees
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. root — of a word
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. plane — a tool
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. staff — a stick
  14. bat — the animal
  15. season — of the year
  16. staff — employees
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. root — of a plant
  21. bass — low music
  22. root — the cause
  23. season — in sport
  24. jam — a tight spot

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