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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. pop — to visit
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. tear — to rip
  5. tear — from crying
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. mate — a partner
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. perch — the fish
  11. current — of water
  12. current — electric
  13. pop — soda
  14. tear — from crying
  15. bass — low music
  16. mate — to breed
  17. pop — music
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. bass — the fish
  22. current — happening now
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. mate — a friend

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