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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. pop — soda
  4. bass — low music
  5. spring — the season
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. prune — to trim
  8. dip — to sink
  9. spring — a coil
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. rush — hurry
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. pop — music
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. prune — to trim
  18. snap — to click
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. bass — the fish
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. spring — of water

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