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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. pop — to visit
  3. wind — moving air
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. spring — a coil
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. spring — of water
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. rock — music
  12. rock — a stone
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. root — of a plant
  15. wind — moving air
  16. pop — music
  17. root — of a word
  18. root — the cause
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. pop — soda
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. perch — the fish
  24. spring — the season

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