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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: root · bass · ball · pound · rock · wind · march · jam

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. root — of a word
  3. rock — music
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. march — the month
  7. root — the cause
  8. pound — a weight
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. march — music
  11. ball — a great time
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. bass — the fish
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. ball — a dance
  18. rock — a stone
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. root — of a plant
  21. bass — low music
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. march — the month
  24. wind — moving air

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