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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. rock — music
  3. bear — the animal
  4. rock — a stone
  5. ball — a dance
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. bear — the animal
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. roll — a list
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. vault — a safe
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. branch — a division
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. pop — music
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. roll — a cake
  20. pop — to visit
  21. pop — soda
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. roll — on a roll

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