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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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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: bowl · bass · deal · root · row · chest · mouse · ground

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. ground — a position
  4. chest — of your body
  5. ground — the earth
  6. root — of a plant
  7. row — a line
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. deal — to handle
  11. chest — a box
  12. bass — low music
  13. row — to paddle
  14. bass — the fish
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. ground — crushed
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. chest — of your body
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. root — the cause
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. bowl — a football final

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