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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 · bass · ground · spring · last · firm · rock · root

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. spring — the season
  3. last — finally
  4. rock — a stone
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. ground — crushed
  7. last — final
  8. spring — of water
  9. ground — a position
  10. bass — low music
  11. root — of a plant
  12. spring — a coil
  13. root — the cause
  14. season — in sport
  15. bass — the fish
  16. rock — music
  17. firm — a company
  18. season — of the year
  19. root — of a word
  20. ground — the earth
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. firm — steady
  23. firm — decided
  24. bass — the instrument

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