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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. pop — music
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. spell — a short time
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. roll — a cake
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. roll — a list
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. stand — to bear
  11. spell — letters
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. pop — soda
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. bark — to shout
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. spell — magic
  24. fork — in a road

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