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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 120 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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. court — of a king
  3. bark — to shout
  4. court — for sport
  5. prune — to trim
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. prune — to trim
  8. bass — the fish
  9. bound — certain
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. court — of law
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. bass — low music
  14. bore — to drill
  15. bound — tied together
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. current — of water
  18. current — electric
  19. pop — soda
  20. current — happening now
  21. bore — to tire
  22. bound — obliged
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. pop — to visit

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