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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 116 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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. spring — of water
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. pop — music
  7. spring — the season
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. cap — a lid
  10. pop — to visit
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. pop — soda
  13. bass — low music
  14. cap — a hat
  15. bark — to shout
  16. wake — a trail
  17. ball — a great time
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. spring — a coil
  20. bass — the fish
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. cap — of ice
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. ball — a dance

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