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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 116 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.

Make a worksheet

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 · ball · root · coach · present · mine · cell

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. present — the time now
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. season — in sport
  8. bass — low music
  9. ball — a great time
  10. root — the cause
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. ball — a dance
  14. present — a gift
  15. mine — for digging
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. cell — a phone
  18. bass — the fish
  19. root — of a word
  20. present — there
  21. cell — in biology
  22. root — of a plant
  23. season — of the year
  24. coach — a trainer

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