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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. track — a path
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. track — to keep track
  5. bass — low music
  6. prune — to trim
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. rest — what's left
  9. prune — to trim
  10. track — a song
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. cue — for pool
  13. spell — magic
  14. spell — letters
  15. cue — a signal
  16. spell — a short time
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. bass — the fish
  19. cue — a hint
  20. pop — to visit
  21. rest — what's left
  22. pop — soda
  23. rest — a break
  24. bark — to shout

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