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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: snap · hide · bass · root · nail · sharp · ground · march

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. march — the month
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. snap — to click
  7. bass — low music
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. march — the month
  11. ground — the earth
  12. ground — a position
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. ground — crushed
  15. bass — the fish
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. root — the cause
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. march — music
  21. root — of a plant
  22. sharp — clever
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. hide — to keep secret

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