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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: rule · bass · march · rock · wound · saw · root · wave

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. root — of a plant
  3. march — music
  4. rock — music
  5. wound — an injury
  6. bass — low music
  7. root — the cause
  8. rule — government
  9. rule — a law
  10. wound — an injury
  11. saw — the tool
  12. rock — a stone
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. march — the month
  17. saw — the tool
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. march — the month
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. bass — the fish
  24. root — of a word

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