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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. can — to be able to
  3. pop — music
  4. prune — to trim
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. net — in sport
  7. net — after costs
  8. ball — a dance
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. object — to protest
  11. swing — to play on
  12. swing — in golf
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. prune — to trim
  15. ball — a great time
  16. swing — music
  17. can — a tin
  18. net — for catching
  19. object — a thing
  20. can — a tin
  21. pop — to visit
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. object — an aim

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