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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: spring · bay · prune · wave · bark · game · dip · pop

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. bark — to shout
  6. spring — a coil
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. spring — the season
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. pop — to visit
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. game — a match
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. pop — music
  16. prune — to trim
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. pop — soda
  19. dip — to sink
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. game — wild animals
  22. spring — of water
  23. prune — to trim
  24. game — a kind of play

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