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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: bass · field · wound · branch · bulb · pass · mark · root

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. field — a subject
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. pass — a permit
  6. root — of a word
  7. root — the cause
  8. mark — a trace
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. field — farmland
  11. bulb — for light
  12. root — of a plant
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. bass — the fish
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. mark — a grade
  17. bass — low music
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. branch — a division
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. bulb — for light
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. wound — an injury
  24. field — for sport

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