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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.

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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: staff · content · wave · pitcher · race · bass · root · kid

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. bass — low music
  4. root — of a word
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. kid — child
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. kid — to tease
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. root — of a plant
  11. root — the cause
  12. race — the arms race
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. race — humankind
  15. staff — a stick
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. staff — employees
  21. bass — the fish
  22. content — happy
  23. staff — employees
  24. content — the amount

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