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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: mouse · race · bulb · stem · present · root · bass · last

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. race — humankind
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. present — a gift
  7. bass — the fish
  8. race — a contest
  9. bulb — for light
  10. root — of a word
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. present — there
  13. bass — low music
  14. root — the cause
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. present — the time now
  17. race — the arms race
  18. stem — to come from
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. last — final
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. bulb — for light
  23. last — finally
  24. root — of a plant

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