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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: pop · jam · wake · ground · rock · sharp · row · bear

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. rock — music
  3. bear — the animal
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. sharp — clever
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. row — to paddle
  9. ground — a position
  10. rock — a stone
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. ground — crushed
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. wake — a trail
  15. pop — to visit
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. pop — soda
  20. pop — music
  21. row — a line
  22. ground — the earth
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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