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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. rock — music
  3. wake — a trail
  4. rock — a stone
  5. pop — soda
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. dip — to sink
  8. spring — of water
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. spring — a coil
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. ball — a dance
  17. ball — a great time
  18. spring — the season
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. lie — to recline
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. pop — to visit
  24. ball — a round shape

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