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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. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. fork — in a road
  3. net — in sport
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. rock — music
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. spring — of water
  8. rock — a stone
  9. current — of water
  10. current — happening now
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. spring — a coil
  13. pop — music
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. pop — soda
  16. key — for a lock
  17. key — the most important part
  18. net — after costs
  19. key — in music
  20. spring — the season
  21. current — electric
  22. net — for catching
  23. bark — to shout
  24. fork — a garden tool

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