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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. bark — to shout
  4. ball — a great time
  5. swing — in golf
  6. wake — a trail
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. row — a line
  14. ball — a dance
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. swing — to play on
  18. prune — to trim
  19. swing — music
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. row — to paddle
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. prune — to trim

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