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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. ball — a great time
  3. perch — the fish
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. ball — a dance
  7. dip — to sink
  8. branch — a division
  9. face — to confront
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. pop — soda
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. face — part of the head
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. wake — a trail
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. face — to point toward
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. pop — music

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