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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: can · scale · roll · spring · pop · snap · toast · bark

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. spring — of water
  4. pop — music
  5. spring — a coil
  6. can — to be able to
  7. scale — in music
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. scale — size or range
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. bark — to shout
  13. spring — the season
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. pop — to visit
  17. toast — bread
  18. roll — a list
  19. roll — a cake
  20. can — a tin
  21. pop — soda
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. can — a tin
  24. roll — on a roll

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