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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 120 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: cell · march · row · squash · pop · wave · rock · bulb

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. bulb — for light
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. pop — soda
  6. squash — to crush
  7. march — the month
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. squash — the sport
  10. pop — music
  11. march — music
  12. march — the month
  13. cell — a phone
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. bulb — for light
  16. cell — in biology
  17. pop — to visit
  18. row — to paddle
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. rock — a stone
  24. row — a line

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